How α-synuclein Spreads Between Cells in the Brain
Protein aggregates of varying sorts are a feature of neurodegenerative conditions. A very small number of the countless different proteins found in human biochemistry can become misfolded or otherwise altered in ways that cause them to both (a) precipitate into solid deposits and (b) draw in more of the same proteins to also aggregate. The aggregates further generate a halo of associated biochemistry that is toxic or disruptive to function in brain cells. Aggregates can also spread between cells, as illustrated here. A sizable fraction of the research community in this part of the field is interested in finding ways to int...
Source: Fight Aging! - June 20, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, June 17th 2019
In this study, analysis of antioxidant defense was performed on the blood samples from 184 "aged" individuals aged 65-90+ years, and compared to the blood samples of 37 individuals just about at the beginning of aging, aged 55-59 years. Statistically significant decreases of Zn,Cu-superoxide dismutase (SOD-1), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were observed in elderly people in comparison with the control group. Moreover, an inverse correlation between the activities of SOD-1, CAT, and GSH-Px and the age of the examined persons was found. No age-related changes in glutathione reductase activiti...
Source: Fight Aging! - June 16, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Mast Cells in Age-Related Neurodegeneration and Neuroinflammation
Of late, it is becoming clear that the dysfunction of immune cells of the central nervous system, such as microglia, is an important part of neurodegeneration. Growing degrees of cellular senescence in these cell populations, leading to inflammatory signaling, appears to be significant in the progression of Alzheimer's disease, for example. There are many distinct types of supporting cell in the brain, however. This short open access review paper discusses the evidence for dysfunction of the immune cells known as mast cells to be relevant to the progression of chronic inflammation and neurodegeneration in the aging brain.
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Source: Fight Aging! - June 11, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Is the Trump Administration Pushing for a Cold War with China?
In aWashington Post op-ed last week, Josh Rogin argued this:Despite what you may have read, the United States ’ strategy toward China does not entail launching another Cold War, imposing a zero-sum game or even winning a “clash of civilizations.” In fact, the entire objective of the Trump administration’s Asia approach is to avoid outright conflict with China. But to do that, Beijing must be deterre d from continuing on its aggressive path.The idea that the White House ’s new approach to confront China’s economic aggression and military expansion represents a “Cold War mentality” is popular with pundits...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - June 10, 2019 Category: American Health Authors: Simon Lester Source Type: blogs
150 Years of Boondoggles
Today is the 150th anniversary of the pounding of the gold spike that represented completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Union Pacific, which now owns the complete route, plans to bring its newly restoredBig Boy steam locomotive to Ogden to recreate, with 4-8-4 locomotive 844, the joining of the UP and Central Pacific in 1869. Numerousmuseums andhistory societies are planning exhibits and meetings.While it would be fascinating to watch theBig Boy operate, you ’ll have to excuse me for otherwise being unenthused about this event. As I see it, the first transcontinental railroad was the biggest boondoggle in ni...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - May 10, 2019 Category: American Health Authors: Randal O ' Toole Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, March 4th 2019
Fight Aging! provides a weekly digest of news and commentary for thousands of subscribers interested in the latest longevity science: progress towards the medical control of aging in order to prevent age-related frailty, suffering, and disease, as well as improvements in the present understanding of what works and what doesn't work when it comes to extending healthy life. Expect to see summaries of recent advances in medical research, news from the scientific community, advocacy and fundraising initiatives to help speed work on the repair and reversal of aging, links to online resources, and much more.
This content is...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 3, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Upregulation of Autophagy to Treat Age-Related Disease
Regulation of autophagy has been a tremendously popular topic in the aging research community over the past twenty years, so much so that it is very surprising that little progress towards clinical therapies has been made. Search PubMed for autophagy and aging and you'll find a deluge of papers over this time frame, many of which express optimism on the topic of finding ways to upregulate autophagy to improve health and slow the aging process. It is the consensus in the research community that autophagy declines with age, and that there are benefits to be realized through increased autophagy. This may allow many age-relate...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 26, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
CBD Oil for Depression, Schizophrenia, ADHD, PTSD, Anxiety, Bipolar & More
In conclusion, the studies presented in the current review demonstrate that CBD has the potential to limit delta-9-THC-induced cognitive impairment and improve cognitive function in various pathological conditions.
Human studies suggest that CBD may have a protective role in delta-9-THC-induced cognitive impairments; however, there is limited human evidence for CBD treatment effects in pathological states (e.g. schizophrenia).
In short, they found that CBD may help alleviate the negative impact of a person with schizophrenia from taking cannabis, both in the psychotic and cognitive symptoms associated with schizophrenia. T...
Source: World of Psychology - February 8, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: John M. Grohol, Psy.D. Tags: Alternative and Nutritional Supplements Disorders General Research Treatment cannabidiol Cannabis cbd cbd oil Marijuana THC Source Type: blogs
What does the devastation of the opioid epidemic look like on the ground?
Jan Rader is the fire chief, first responder, and a nurse in Huntington, West Virginia who describes her community's reponse to the opiod epidemic.Huntington is a county of 95,000 people which, in 2017, experienced 1831 overdoses, and 183 deaths.Rader describes some innovative programming in her community to deal with substance use disorder which as reached epidemic proportions not only in her county but across the U.S. Editor's note:I was the executive director of GCASA, the Genesee Council on Alcoholism and Subtance abuse in Genesee and Orleans Counties in Western New York state from 2000 - 2011. I continue to consu...
Source: Markham's Behavioral Health - January 26, 2019 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: David G. Markham Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, January 7th 2019
This study suggests that advantages and disadvantages vary by environment and diet, however, which might explain why evolution has selected for multiple haplogroups rather than one dominant haplogroup.
This is all interesting, but none of it stops the research community from engineering a globally better-than-natural human mitochondrial genome, and then copying it into the cell nucleus as a backup to prevent the well-known contribution of mitochondrial DNA damage to aging. Further, nothing stops us from keeping the haplogroups we have and rendering the effects of variants small and irrelevant through the development...
Source: Fight Aging! - January 6, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
A Look Back at the Rejuvenation Research and Advocacy of 2018
Discussion of Mitochondrial Hormesis as an Approach to Slow Aging
Cornelis (Cees) Wortel, Ichor Therapeutics Chief Medical Officer, on Rejuvenation Research and Its Engagement with the Established Regulatory System
An Interview with a Programmed Aging Theorist
An Interview with Reason at the Life Extension Advocacy Foundation
An Interview on Mitochondrial Damage and Dysfunction in Aging
An Interview with Vadim Gladyshev on Research into the Causes of Aging
An Interview with Jim Mellon, and Update on Juvenescence
A Lengthy Interview with Aubrey de Grey of the SENS Research Foundation
An Interview with Peter de Keize...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 31, 2018 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Healthy Life Extension Community Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, December 3rd 2018
This article, however, is more of a commentary on high level strategy and the effects of regulation, coupled with a desire to forge ahead rather than hold back in the matter of treating aging, thus I concur with much more of what is said than is usually the case.
For decades, one of the most debated questions in gerontology was whether aging is a disease or the norm. At present, excellent reasoning suggests aging should be defined as a disease - indeed, aging has been referred to as "normal disease." Aging is the sum of all age-related diseases and this sum is the best biomarker of aging. Aging and its diseases ar...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 2, 2018 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
RNA Fragments and Ribosomal Failure as a Consequence of Oxidative Stress
Researchers here describe a novel form of cell damage that results from oxidative stress, one that has not yet been investigated in any meaningful way. Oxidative stress is the name given to raised levels of oxidative molecules (free radicals, reactive oxygen species, and others) and the damage that they cause inside cells, in the form of chemical reactions that disable protein machinery. That damage is constantly occurring and constantly repaired, even in young cells, but in old cells the damage outpaces the repair mechanisms. Oxidative damage was at one time thought to be a fairly straightforward cause of aging, but that ...
Source: Fight Aging! - November 30, 2018 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Let ’ s Keep Genetic Information an Individual Affair
These times train us to seek continually for more data and more transparency, always assuming that more is better. But some types of data and transparency bring risks, because “A little learning is a dangerous thing.” In particular, sharing genetic information with family members raises daunting ethical issues, along with the need for a mature understanding of consequences, as illustrated by a court case from the UK recently reported in The Guardian.
Superficially, this case seems to be a simple balancing act concerning how far a doctor is responsible to fulfill a family member’s right to know. But in con...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - November 29, 2018 Category: Information Technology Authors: Andy Oram Tags: Genomics Data Transparency Privacy Source Type: blogs
What ’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia?
In a nutshell, dementia is a symptom, and Alzheimer's disease is the cause of the symptom. When someone is told they have dementia, it means that they have significant memory problems as well as other cognitive difficulties, and that these problems are severe enough to get in the way of daily living.....Dementia presents as a group of symptoms, and Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia.When someone is told they have Alzheimer's or dementia,it means they have significant memory problems as well as other cognitive and behavioral issues.Most of the time dementia is caused by Alzheimer's disease.By Bob DeMar...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - November 20, 2018 Category: Neurology Tags: Alzheimer's Dementia Alzheimer's disease alzheimer's vs dementia symptoms the difference between alzheimer's and dementia Source Type: blogs
