In Other Words: What Being Unionized Means for Molecules
Did you know that molecules can be unionized? But it doesn’t mean they form a labor union. In chemistry, unionized (pronounced “un-ionized”) is the opposite of ionized, which means “electrically charged.” Credit: NIGMS. Unionized molecules don’t have electrical charges because they have the same number of electrons and protons. Ionized molecules, also called ions, become charged by gaining or losing electrons. Ions with extra electrons, known as anions, have a negative charge. Ions with fewer electrons than normal, called cations, have a positive charge. Unionization’s Impacts A molecule’s c...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - April 3, 2024 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Tools and Techniques In Other Words Source Type: blogs

Brugada Syndrome
Transcript of the video: Brugada Syndrome was described by Brugada brothers in 1992 as right bundle branch block pattern in anterior leads with ST segment elevation and syncope or sudden cardiac death and it was later in 1998, that the genetic basis of the disease was identified, with mutations in sodium channel. Later on, several other mutations have been attributed to cause the ECG pattern in Brugada syndrome. I am always happy to see this ECG of Brugada syndrome sent to me by Professor Josep Brugada, in 2001, for the inaugural issue of the Indian Pacing and Electrophysiology Journal, which I started in 2001. And, this r...
Source: Cardiophile MD - March 28, 2024 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs

How will you save this critically ill patient? A fundamental and lifesaving ECG interpretation that everyone must recognize instantly.
Written by Pendell MeyersA woman in her 30s called EMS for acute symptoms including near-syncope, nausea, diaphoresis, and abdominal pain. EMS arrived and found her to appear altered, critically ill, and hypotensive. An ECG was performed:What do you think?Extremely wide complex monomorphic rhythm just over 100 bpm. The QRS is so wide andsinusoidal that the only real possibilities left are hyperkalemia or Na channel blockade. Hyperkalemia is by far more common.Indeed, further history revealed two missed dialysis sessions. And of course on exam she has a dialysis fistula.EMS reportedly gave 4 grams of calcium (unknown w...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - February 22, 2024 Category: Cardiology Authors: Pendell Source Type: blogs

Can we finally say goodbye to opioids? There may be new pain relief on the horizon.
In an article I recently wrote about a new calcium channel-blocking medication that could be effective in treating central chronic pain, I mentioned that medications like lidocaine block sodium channels to prevent the transmission of pain through the peripheral nervous system. I also said that these medications have limited use, usually just in the ER, Read more… Can we finally say goodbye to opioids? There may be new pain relief on the horizon. originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - February 13, 2024 Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Meds Pain Management Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, February 12th 2024
In conclusion, frailty is a dynamic process, and improved frailty and remaining robust are significantly associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular death in older people. « Back to Top Greater Individual Wealth Correlates with Longer Life Expectancy https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2024/02/greater-individual-wealth-correlates-with-longer-life-expectancy/ Individual wealth correlates with life expectancy, with an effect size that is in the same ballpark as those related to lifestyle choices involving exercise, diet, and consequences thereof. It remains unclear...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 11, 2024 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

Further Exploration of Drainage Pathways for Cerebrospinal Fluid
Considerable progress has been made in recent years in mapping the pathways by which cerebrospinal fluid drains from the brain into the body, many of which were only recently discovered. The present consensus is that the progressive loss of this drainage with advancing age is likely important in the development of neurodegenerative conditions, allowing molecular waste such as amyloid-β to build up in the brain. Researchers here discuss a new branch of the system of cerebrospinal fluid drainage that passes behind the nose. Like the related cribriform plate pathway, this makes it off interest in the development of Alzheimer...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 5, 2024 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, February 5th 2024
In conclusion, the Immunity and Redox Clocks allow BA quantification in mice and both the ImmunolAge and RedoxAge in mice relate to lifespan. « Back to Top Senolytic CAR T Cell Therapy Improves Health in Aged Mice https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2024/01/senolytic-car-t-cell-therapy-improves-health-in-aged-mice/ To the degree that senescent cells in a tissue exhibit distinctive surface features, one can deploy technologies such as chimeric antigen receptor T cells to selectively destroy them. T cells will destroy whatever cell binds to the chimeric antigen receptor they are equipped w...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 4, 2024 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

Making a Mouse that Exhibits Human Telomere Dynamics
Telomerase acts to extend telomeres, the repeated DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes. With every cell division, some of the telomere repeats are lost. Cells with critically short telomeres become senescent or undergo programmed cell death, having reached the Hayflick limit on replication. Some cells employ telomerase to adjust the countdown of telomere length. In humans, only stem cells use telomerase. In other species, such as mice, telomerase is much more widely expressed. There has been some interest in the research community in upregulation of telomerase as a way to improve stem cell and tissue function in old ag...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 2, 2024 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, December 25th 2023
This study generates a comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic atlas of human atherosclerosis including 118,578 high-quality cells from atherosclerotic coronary and carotid arteries. By performing systematic benchmarking of integration methods, we mitigated data overcorrection while separating major cell lineages. Notably, we define cell subtypes that have not been previously identified from individual human atherosclerosis scRNA-seq studies. Besides characterizing granular cell-type diversity and communication, we leverage this atlas to provide insights into smooth muscle cell (SMC) modulation. We integrate genome...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 24, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

Mineralocorticoid Receptors: MCQ
Mineralocorticoid Receptors are found in all of the following, Except? [1] A. Liver B. Colon C. Hippocampus D. Kidney Correct answer : A. Liver Mineralocorticoid receptors are found in sodium transporting epithelia like that in kidney and colon as well as in nonepithelial tissues like heart and brain [2]. They also have high affinity for glucocorticoids [3]. Aldosterone promotes myocardial fibroblast proliferation and has a role in myocardial fibrosis. This accounts for the beneficial antifibrotic effect of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists when used in the management of heart failure [4]. References https://pgblaze...
Source: Cardiophile MD - December 24, 2023 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: Medicine MCQ - CVS Source Type: blogs

A young woman with palpitations. What med is she on? With what medication is she non-compliant? What management?
 Written by Pendell MeyersA woman in her 20s with connective tissue disorder and history of aortic root and valve repair presented with palpitations. Here is her triage ECG: What do you think?Atrial flutter with 2:1 conduction. The atrial flutter rate is approximately 200 bpm, with 2:1 AV conduction resulting in ventricular rate almost exactly 100 bpm. The fact that the atrial flutter rate is 200 bpm (rather than more typical adult rate of ~300 bpm) suggests that the patient must have one or both of the following:1) enlarged atria ( " bigger race track " )2) sodium channel blockade ( " slower race car "...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - December 24, 2023 Category: Cardiology Authors: Pendell Source Type: blogs

Existing Geroprotective Drugs May Not Interact Well with Exercise
The big disadvantage of the geroprotective approach to aging, which is essentially to undertake the long-term use of supplements and small molecule drugs to alter metabolism in ways that slow aging over years and decades, is that distinct supplements and small molecules and adjustments tend to combine in unexpected ways. Short of testing every combination in laboratory species, something that Brian Kennedy's team has been working on, one can never know the outcome of combining a treatment. Based on presentations and interviews given by Kennedy in the last few years, the result of combining two geroprotectors that individua...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 21, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs

Growing Thyroid Tissue in the Spleen to Restore Function
Over the past decade or so, researchers have demonstrated that it is possible to use existing organs as bioreactors to host organoids derived from other organ tissues. Functional liver tissue can be grown in lymph nodes, as can thymus tissue. Here, researchers show that thyroid organoids can be grown in the spleen. This is intended to help patients who have undergone thyroidectomy, but will this capability also be useful in the context of the aging of the thyroid gland? Interestingly, the aging of the thyroid is poorly understood in comparison to the interaction of aging with larger organs such as liver, kidney, or heart. ...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 19, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs

Brugada Syndrome: Diagnosis and Risk Stratification
Hello friends, this is the modified version of my talk at Indian Heart Rhythm Society Conference, New Delhi, 2023, on Brugada Syndrome. Hope you will enjoy this session. Initial description of Brugada syndrome in 1992 was that of syncopal episodes and/or sudden death in persons with structurally normal heart and a characteristic ECG pattern of right bundle branch block with ST segment elevation in leads V1 to V3. Sometimes individuals with a diagnostic ECG may be totally asymptomatic and may be having a family history of sudden death. Genetic nature of the disorder and mutation in sodium channel gene was described in 1998...
Source: Cardiophile MD - October 27, 2023 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: ECG / Electrophysiology General Cardiology Source Type: blogs

Risk of Spontaneous vs Induced Brugada Pattern
It is well known that sodium channel blockers can unmask the ECG pattern in Brugada syndrome. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the utility of drug challenge in testing for Brugada syndrome. They found that spontaneous type 1 ECG characterized by coved, down sloping ST elevation with T inversion in right precordial leads had 2.4% annual incidence of serious arrhythmic events. In contrast, those with ECG pattern induced by sodium channel blockers had only 0.65% annual incidence of serious arrhythmic events. Reference Rattanawong P, Kewcharoen J, Kanitsoraphan C, Vutthikraivit W, Putthapiban P, Prasitl...
Source: Cardiophile MD - October 19, 2023 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs