Fight Aging! Newsletter, August 21st 2023
This study aimed to investigate the association between frailty index and circulating CAP2 concentration in 467 community-dwelling older adults (median age: 79; range: 65-92 years). The selected robust regression model showed that circulating CAP2 concentration was not associated with chronological age, as well as sex and education. However, circulating CAP2 concentration was significantly and inversely associated with the frailty index: a 0.1-unit increase in frailty index leads to ~0.5-point mean decrease in CAP2 concentration. Furthermore, mean CAP2 concentration was significantly lower in frail participants (i.e., fr...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 21, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

Progress Towards Therapies for Transthyretin Amyloidosis
Transthyretin is one of the few proteins in the body that can misfold in a way that encourages other copies of the protein to also misfold, forming solid aggregates called amyloid that disrupt tissue structure and function. The resulting condition, transthyretin amyloidosis, clogs up cardiac tissue and thereby contributes to a fraction of all heart failure cases. It is thought to be a major cause of mortality in supercentenarians. Approved therapies targeting a more aggressive form of the condition resulting from a mutated transthyretin gene will not be useful against the much more common version of the condition, as they ...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 18, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs

Predicting Mildly Age-Slowing Drugs will be a Focus of Future Research
It is clear that new ways of analyzing large amounts of data via machine learning will be used extensively in the near future in the field of aging research, employed to speed up the process of finding new drug targets and small molecules that might alter metabolism to slightly slow aging. This will no doubt be a sizable component of the longevity industry, if we judge the near future by the present distribution of companies and efforts. I can't say that I think that is likely to produce sizable benefits in aging humans, however, when compared to the rational design of therapies to specifically repair underlying causes of ...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 16, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, August 14th 2023
This study demonstrates just how vital the thymus is to maintaining adult health." « Back to Top Does Amyloid-β Aggregation Cause Broad Disruption of Proteostasis? https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2023/08/does-amyloid-%ce%b2-aggregation-cause-broad-disruption-of-proteostasis/ Researchers here speculate on the ability of insoluble amyloid-β aggregates to be broadly disruptive of the solubility of many other proteins, and thus disruptive to cell and tissue function. Is this important in aging? The evidence here shows the existence of the mechanism in a lower species, but that doesn't ...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 13, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

A whole new perspective
Through a chain of events that I won ' t bore you by reciting, I find myself the Democratic candidate for First Selectman of the very small town I live in. (I expect that ' s surprising. It is to me.) This suddenly makes me think about problems I really hadn ' t considered much before.Our town ' s main industry is agriculture. We don ' t really have a main street. There ' s a liquor store, an auto repair business, an acupuncturist, a seamstress (really) and a chain saw shop. We have a sawmill and a campground. That ' s about it. Our problem is that agricultural land pays very little in real estate taxes, which means that a...
Source: Stayin' Alive - August 12, 2023 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs

Light-Activated Hydrogel Thickens, Reshapes Thinning Cornea
Researchers at the University of Ottawa have developed a light-activated hydrogel treatment for corneal disease. Many of the people who suffer from corneal disease, which can include corneal thinning, are not suitable for a corneal transplant, and obtaining transplants is a challenge for those who are. This technology is intended to assist with thickening and reshaping the cornea, and it may pave the way for an alternative to transplants in the future. The biomaterial is made using glycosaminoglycans, which are polymers that occur naturally in the body, and short peptides. Following injection into a surgically create...
Source: Medgadget - August 9, 2023 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Materials Ophthalmology uOttawa Source Type: blogs

Selective Disruption of Replication in Cancerous Cells by Targeting PCNA
The future of cancer therapy will involve the targeting of mechanisms found broadly in many or all different types of cancer, that cancer cells cannot dispense with as they evolve rapidly within a tumor, and which have little to no effect on non-cancerous cells. Targeting telomerase to prevent the lengthening of telomeres can check the first two of those boxes, leaving the question of how best to effectively restrict the treatment to tumor cells. Targeting alternative lengthening of telomeres can check the second and third boxes, but the mechanism only operates in a minority of cancers. The research community is engaged in...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 9, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News 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. « Back to Top 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

Microneedle Patch for Antibiotic-Free Acne Treatment
Researchers at the University of Hong Kong have developed a microneedle patch for the drug-free treatment of skin infections, such as acne. Acne is often treated using antibiotics, but these have limited effectiveness over the long term and can result in drug-resistant bacteria. In an effort to develop a drug-free alternative, these researchers have created a microneedle patch that is ultrasound responsive. The patch contains zinc-based nanomaterials that produce a substantial amount of reactive oxygen species when stimulated using ultrasound. These reactive oxygen species are highly effective at killing acne-causing bacte...
Source: Medgadget - August 1, 2023 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Dermatology Materials Medicine acne HKUniversity 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. « Back to Top (Source: Fight Aging!)
Source: Fight Aging! - July 30, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

The Repair Biotechnologies View of Cholesterol Pathology at the 2023 Foresight Longevity Workshop
I attended the Foresight Institute's 2023 Longevity Frontiers Workshop earlier in the year. This event series provides a chance to make connections with some of the longevity industry figures and academic researchers in the field of aging that are associated with the Bay Area venture and futurist communities. The format this year was rapid-fire seven minute presentations and longer discussions; the presentations are shared online. I presented an informal, abbreviated version of the Repair Biotechnologies viewpoint on the role of cholesterol in aging and disease, trying to cover at least the important points in the time all...
Source: Fight Aging! - July 27, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Longevity Industry Source Type: blogs

Towards Regenerative Medicine for Teeth
This popular science article surveys the present state of development towards the goal of regenerating teeth and their supporting structures. In animal studies, researchers have managed to grow and implant whole teeth, though much work remains to better control the processes involved. Similarly, proof of concept studies have demonstrated regrowth of enamel to heal cavities. More advanced is regeneration of dental pulp, where the established techniques of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering can be applied to the problem directly. Teeth can undergo a lot of damage. In particular, when wily bacteria sneak pa...
Source: Fight Aging! - July 25, 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

The corporatization of medicine: Part two
2016 was in fact the first year in which fewer than half of physicians had an ownership stake in their practice, based on a survey by the American Medical Association.[i] The pace of acquisition of practices by hospitals and health systems during this period was astonishing. From 2014-2018, just four years, corporate ownership of practices increased from 24.1% to 45.6% of all physicians in a nationally representative sample. After selling out, physicians actually experienced a reduction in their income.[ii]The evidence that increasing concentration of medical services is associated with higher prices is consistent and exte...
Source: Stayin' Alive - July 21, 2023 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs

Eggs And High Blood Pressure: Decoding The Dietary Dilemma
Conclusion In navigating the winding road of managing high blood pressure, several key points emerge. Eggs, while a source of ongoing debate, can form part of a balanced diet for most people. It’s essential, though, to consider your entire dietary pattern, emphasizing heart-healthy choices like those found in the DASH and Mediterranean diets. Avoiding processed meats and sugary breakfast options, while incorporating nutrient-dense foods, can significantly impact your blood pressure management. But remember, it’s not all about diet. A comprehensive approach, involving regular physical activity, stress mana...
Source: The EMT Spot - July 21, 2023 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Michael Rotman, MD, FRCPC, PhD Tags: Blood Pressure Source Type: blogs