A Look Back at 2020: Progress Towards the Treatment of Aging as a Medical Condition
While I suspect that COVID-19 will feature prominently in most retrospectives on 2020, I'll say only a little on it. The data on mortality by year end, if taken at face value, continues to suggest that the outcome will fall at the higher end of the early estimates of a pandemic three to six times worse than a bad influenza year, ten times worse than a normal influenza year. The people who die are near entirely the old, the co-morbid, and the immunocompromised. They die because they are suffering the damage and dysfunction of aging. Yet the societal conversation and the actions of policy makers ignore this.
There is ...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 31, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Of Interest Source Type: blogs
Why corruption is ruining your health care [PODCAST]
“Doctors help patients, and they love us for it. We fix bones, replace joints, cure killer infections, and control diabetes with insulin. We use painless scans for diagnosis. Liver, kidney, and heart transplants are now routine. Some patients get cured of lymphomas, leukemia, Hodgkin ’s disease, and testicular cancer. Lives are prolonged for myeloma and amyloidosis. […]Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now. Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - December 25, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/the-podcast-by-kevinmd" rel="tag" > The Podcast by KevinMD < /a > < /span > Tags: Podcast Public Health & Policy Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, November 30th 2020
We examined specific aspects of metabolism in male PolG+/mut mice at 6 and 12 months of age under three dietary conditions: normal chow (NC) feeding, high-fat feeding (HFD), and 24-hr starvation. We performed mitochondrial proteomics and assessed dynamics and quality control signaling in muscle and liver to determine whether mitochondria respond to mtDNA point mutations by altering morphology and turnover. In the current study, we observed that the accumulation of mtDNA point mutations failed to disrupt metabolic homeostasis and insulin action in male mice, but with aging, metabolic health was likely preserved by counterme...
Source: Fight Aging! - November 29, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
An Overview of the Mechanisms of Transthyretin Amyloidosis
A score or so different types of amyloid can form in the human body, each a protein that can become altered or misfolded in a way that encourages other molecules of the same protein to also alter or misfold. These broken proteins aggregate together into sheets and fibrils, forming solid deposits in and around cells that interfere with the normal function of tissues, or are actively toxic. Transthyretin is one such protein, and transthyretin amyloidosis is present to some degree in all older people. Evidence of recent years suggests that it is a factor in 10% of heart failure cases in old people in general, and it may be th...
Source: Fight Aging! - November 27, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
Changing Metabolite Production in the Aging Gut Microbiome Correlates with Presence of Amyloid- β in the Brain
The research materials here examine the age-related changes in metabolite production in the gut microbiome and correlate those changes with the presence of amyloid-β in the brain, a feature of Alzheimer's disease. It is a good companion piece to another recently published paper that links changes in microbial population abundance and Alzheimer's disease. The question of causation arises, as always, but it is plausible to think that the aging of the gut microbiome, influential on chronic inflammation in the body, contributes to the risk of Alzheimer's disease, which is a condition that appears to be driven in large part by...
Source: Fight Aging! - November 23, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
A Covid patient with cough and Fever. Why does the ST-T wave look so abnormal?
I was reading through a stack of ECGs and saw this one. What is going on here?At first glance, it looks like a low atrial rhythm, with a negative P-wave in inferior leads. There appear to be inferior QS-waves and and intraventricular conduction delay (computer measure QRS at 120 ms).There appear to be very strange down up T-waves.On closer inspection, the P-wave in V1 appears biphasic, which should not happen in a low atrial rhythm.Then we see that there is another P-wave inbetween, superimposed on the T-wave, in V1.Then we see that in lead II, the negative P-waves have another negative P-wave between...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - November 15, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Steve Smith Source Type: blogs
Tei index – Myocardial performance index
Tei index – Myocardial performance index
Tei index – myocardial performance index (MPI) is the ratio of the time spent in isovolumetric activity divided by the time spent in ventricular ejection [1]. In other words, it is the sum of isovolumic contraction and relaxation times divided by the ejection time [2].
MPI = (ICT + IRT) / ET
ICT: isovolumic contraction time; IRT: isovolumic relaxation time; ET: ejection time
Myocardial performance index has an inverse relation with global ventricular function in that increasing values indicate worsening global ventricular function. There is good correlation between Doppl...
Source: Cardiophile MD - September 6, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Echocardiography Source Type: blogs
Part One: Tapping the Wrist
The wrist is not commonly aspirated in the emergency department, but emergent arthrocentesis may be indicated for extreme or concerning cases, and tapping the wrist to determine the underlying pathology or relieve pain may be of great value. The synovial fluid from the joint space can be analyzed for crystals, infection, and blood. This information may help determine the overall plan and aid in decision-making and consultation. The ultimate treatment plan may include admission, intravenous antibiotics, multiple aspirations, and even surgical washout.A swollen, painful wrist that is hot to the touch is concerning for sep...
Source: The Procedural Pause - April 1, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, March 16th 2020
We report a new class of natural-product-inspired covalent inhibitors of telomerase that target the catalytic active site.
Age-Related Epigenetic Changes that Suppress Mitochondrial Function
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2020/03/age-related-epigenetic-changes-that-suppress-mitochondrial-function/
Today's open access research reports on two specific epigenetic changes observed in old individuals that act to reduce mitochondrial function. This joins an existing list of genes for which expression changes are known to impact mitochondrial function with age. A herd of hundreds of mitochondria are found...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 15, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Amyloid Plaques Containing Nucleic Acids Drive Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the presence of protein aggregates in the brain. These are misfolded and altered versions of proteins that can act as seeds for solid deposits to form and spread in the brain. These deposits are surrounded by a halo of toxic biochemistry that harms and eventually kills neurons. Amyloid-β aggregates are present in the early stages of the condition, while tau aggregates cause much greater harm and cell death in the later stages.
Alzheimer's disease is also an inflammatory condition, however, in which chronic inflammation and altered behavior of the central nervous system immune...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 11, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
CHAD-STOP for cardiac amyloidosis
CHAD-STOP is the mnemonic for the initial steps in the management of cardiac amyloidosis:
C: Conduction and rhythm disorder prevention
H: High heart rate maintenance
A: Anticoagulation
D: Diuretics
STOP: STOP beta receptor and calcium channel blockers, digoxin and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone inhibitors
Preload reserve is limited in cardiac amyloidosis due to severe diastolic dysfunction. Hence the only way to increase the cardiac output is by the heart rate reserve and hence it should not be cut down by beta blockade or calcium channel blockade.
Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone inhibitors carry the risk of severe hypotens...
Source: Cardiophile MD - December 13, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, December 9th 2019
Fight Aging! publishes news and commentary relevant to the goal of ending all age-related disease, to be achieved by bringing the mechanisms of aging under the control of modern medicine. This weekly newsletter is sent to thousands of interested subscribers. To subscribe or unsubscribe from the newsletter,
please visit:
https://www.fightaging.org/newsletter/
Longevity Industry Consulting Services
Reason, the founder of Fight Aging! and Repair Biotechnologies, offers strategic consulting services to investors, entrepreneurs, and others interested in the longevity industry and its complexities. To find out m...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 8, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Fibrosis as an Important Contributing Cause of Atrial Fibrillation
Researchers here argue that fibrosis of cardiac tissue is an important contribution to the development of atrial fibrillation in older patients. Fibrosis is a feature of many age-related conditions, a dysfunction in tissue maintenance processes that involves the generation of scar-like deposits of collagen by overactive fibroblasts. This scarring disrupts normal tissue structure and function in many organs, including the heart, and there is no good approved therapy to treat the progression of fibrosis: even slowing it is haphazard and unreliable.
This may soon change. Fibrosis appears to be caused to a large degree ...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 3, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, December 2nd 2019
In conclusion, T2D impairs vascular function by dysregulated autophagy. Therefore, autophagy could be a potential target for overcoming diabetic microvascular complications.
To What Degree Does Loss of Skeletal Muscle with Age Contribute to Immunosenescence?
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2019/11/to-what-degree-does-loss-of-skeletal-muscle-with-age-contribute-to-immunosenescence/
Sarcopenia, the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength, is characteristic of aging. A perhaps surprisingly large fraction of the losses can be averted by strength training, but there are nonetheless inexorable proces...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 1, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Cardiac Amyloid Buildup Correlates with Risk of Atrial Fibrillation
In this study, we sought to assess the prevalence of AF in patients with clinically undetected isolated cardiac amyloidosis (ICA) detected at autopsy and identify electrocardiographic (EKG) markers of such amyloid deposits. A total of 1083 patients were included in the study and 3.1% of patients were found to have asymptomatic ICA. Patients with ICA were older and had a higher odds of AF independent of age and CHA2DS2VASc score. Amongst patients with AF, those with ICA were more likely to have persistent forms of AF and had a lower sinus rhythm P-wave amplitude. Further studies are required to further define this entity, i...
Source: Fight Aging! - November 29, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
