Celebrating 10 Years of Biomedical Beat
This August marks 10 years of the blog! Throughout the past decade, we’ve brought you blog posts that explore basic science topics, quiz your knowledge, showcase cool images, and more! Some of our most-read favorites include:
We’ve also interviewed over a hundred NIGMS-funded scientists about their research, mentorship, and careers. To celebrate 10 years, we went back to two of the first researchers featured on the blog to see what they’re up to now.
Exploring Enzymes With Dr. Emily Scott
Credit: University of Michigan.
Around the time we first fe...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - August 16, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Molecular Structures Cool Tools/Techniques Profiles Research Roundup RNA Source Type: blogs
Glycogen Phosphorylase Inhibition Improves Cognitive Function in Old Mice Only
Today's open access paper provides an interesting example of a pharmacological strategy that is beneficial to specific aspects of memory function in old mice, but detrimental to that same function in young mice. This is certainly possible, as the biochemistry of cells and tissues is nothing if not exceedingly complex, but this outcome tends to be unusual. More commonly, a therapy targeting causative mechanisms of aging, one that improves function in aged individuals, will do little to nothing for younger individuals, but will not be actively harmful.
Here, clearly, the biochemistry of memory formation changes in mea...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 15, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
What Is Pharmacology?
Credit: iStock.
Pharmacology is the study of how molecules, such as medicines, interact with the body. Scientists who study pharmacology are called pharmacologists, and they explore the chemical properties, biological effects, and therapeutic uses of medicines and other molecules. Their work can be broken down into two main areas:
Pharmacokinetics is the study of how the body acts on a medicine, including its processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME).
Pharmacodynamics is the study of how a medicine acts in the body—both on its intended target and throughout all the organs and tissue...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - August 14, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Common questions Genomics Medicines Miniseries Source Type: blogs
A Selective Destruction Theory of Aging
At present the research community cannot robustly connect underlying causative processes of aging, such as those described in the SENS view of damage and rejuvenation, or some of the hallmarks of aging, to higher level manifestations of aging, such as declining function or changing biomarkers associated with age-related disease. This gives great freedom to theorize on how exactly the present voluminous but disconnected body of data on aging, cellular biochemistry, and age-related disease all fits together. There is no shortage of theories of aging, and no sign that the research community will cease to create new ones at an...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 14, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Copper Keeps Us Going
Copper pipes, copper wires, copper…food? Copper is not only a useful metal for conducting electricity, but it’s also an essential element we need in our bodies for a variety of important activities—from metabolizing iron to pigmenting skin. (Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences)
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - August 9, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Molecular Structures Cellular Processes Element Proteins Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, August 7th 2023
In conclusion, here, we demonstrate a novel mechanism for ESC-EVs to protect cells from senescence. However, whether ESC-EVs rejuvenate aged mice via miR-15b-5p and miR-290a-5p remains unknown. Next, we plan to use miR-15b-5p and miR-290a-5p antagonists while treating aged mice with ESC-EVs to further investigate the mechanism by which ESC-EVs resist aging in vivo.
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Fatty Acid Metabolism as a Commonality in Different Approaches to Slowing Aging
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2023/08/fatty-acid-metabolism-as-a-commonality-in-different-approaches-to-slowing-aging/
It seem...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 6, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Extracellular Vesicles from Embryonic Stem Cells Reduce Cellular Senescence
In conclusion, here, we demonstrate a novel mechanism for ESC-EVs to protect cells from senescence. However, whether ESC-EVs rejuvenate aged mice via miR-15b-5p and miR-290a-5p remains unknown. Next, we plan to use miR-15b-5p and miR-290a-5p antagonists while treating aged mice with ESC-EVs to further investigate the mechanism by which ESC-EVs resist aging in vivo. (Source: Fight Aging!)
Source: Fight Aging! - August 1, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
Postmenopausal Hormone Treatment Correlates with Increased Dementia Risk
We report a nationwide study on the association between menopausal hormone therapy and development of dementia. 5,589 incident cases of dementia and 55,890 age matched controls were identified between 2000 and 2018 from a population of all Danish women aged 50-60 years in 2000 with no history of dementia or contraindications for use of menopausal hormone therapy.
Compared with people who had never used treatment, people who had received oestrogen-progestin therapy had an increased rate of all cause dementia (hazard ratio 1.24). Increasing durations of use yielded higher hazard ratios, ranging from 1.21 for one year ...
Source: Fight Aging! - July 31, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, July 31st 2023
In conclusion, an SBP level below 130 mmHg was found to be associated with longevity among older women. The longer SBP was controlled at a level between 110 and 130 mmHg, the higher the survival probability to age 90. Preventing age-related rises in SBP and increasing the time with controlled BP levels constitute important measures for achieving longevity.
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Source: Fight Aging! - July 30, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Why Am I So Tired?
Circadian rhythms control the timing of many daily changes in your body. Credit: iStock.
If you struggle to wake up in time for school or work or feel drowsy during a trip abroad, your circadian rhythms may be out of sync with your environment. Circadian rhythms are your internal timekeepers, and almost all organisms, from bacteria to plants and animals, have them. You can’t see them, but you can feel their effects—they control when you get sleepy, when you wake up in the morning, and when you feel hungry. Among other signals, the brain uses sunlight to keep time.
Changing Circadian Rhythms
Exposure to ligh...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - July 26, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Biological Clocks Common questions Source Type: blogs
The Ketone Body β-hydroxybutyrate is Involved in Clearance of Amyloid-β
Researchers here note an interesting role for one of the common ketone bodies found in mammalian biochemistry, in that it provokes clearance of amyloid-β via its interaction with that molecule. An increase in misfolded amyloid-β is involved in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, and seems likely to cause some fraction of the pathology of that condition. If comparatively simple approaches could keep amyloid-β levels low in later life, then the incidence of Alzheimer's disease might be reduced. That said, while the mechanism described here is interesting, it doesn't mean that the effect size, relative to other mechan...
Source: Fight Aging! - July 26, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, July 24th 2023
In this study, we tested the hypothesis that periodontal disease (PD) as a source of infection alters inflammatory activation and Aβ phagocytosis by the microglial cells.
Experimental PD was induced using ligatures in C57BL/6 mice for 1, 10, 20, and 30 days to assess the progression of PD. Animals without ligatures were used as controls. Ligature placement caused progressive periodontal disease and bone resorption that was already significant on day 1 post-ligation and continued to increase until day 30. The severity of periodontal disease increased the frequency of activated microglia in the brains on day 30 by 36...
Source: Fight Aging! - July 23, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Senescent Human Lung Fibroblasts Produce Lung Fibrosis when Transplanted into Mice
From the evidence accumulated to date in animal models and studies of human tissue, it seems clear that senescent cells play an important role in the development of fibrosis in a variety of tissues. Fibrosis is a dysfunction of normal tissue maintenance processes, an excessive deposition of collagen extracellular matrix that is disruptive to tissue structure and function. Senescent cells secrete signals that encourage both growth and inflammation, and that sort of signaling sustained for the long term may be necessary for the development of fibrosis. Many age-related fibrotic diseases exist, in lungs, liver, and heart for ...
Source: Fight Aging! - July 21, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
Reviewing What is Known of the Biochemistry of Klotho Relevant to Effects on Life Span
Increased klotho expression increases longevity in mice, while reduced klotho expression accelerates aging. The most well studied effects of klotho on organ function involve the kidney and brain, where in both cases it appears protective via a number of different mechanisms. Unfortunately, klotho expression declines with age. Whether treating humans with therapies that increase levels of klotho will produce effects that are as large as those observed in mice remains to be seen. Programs that might lead to treatments remain at a preclinical stage of development, though recently advanced to the point of testing in non-human ...
Source: Fight Aging! - July 21, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Characterizing the Brains of People Who Retain Cognitive Function into Late Life
What distinguishes the brains and biochemistry of people who retain good cognitive function into late life? That question provokes studies such as the one noted here, in which researchers assess structural and biochemical differences between older people with good cognitive function versus those on the more usual declining trajectory. It remains a matter for hypothesis and discussion as to how exactly cognitive function is maintained in only some individuals, in apparent opposition to the mechanisms of aging and their effects on the integrity of the brain. Gathering data remains an important activity at this stage of resea...
Source: Fight Aging! - July 21, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
