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A Look Back at 2023: Progress Towards the Treatment of Aging as a Medical Condition
The market has been in the doldrums and it has been a tough year for fundraising, both for non-profits and biotech startups. The conferences have exhibited more of an academic focus as companies tightened belts and postponed investment rounds, while investors stayed home. Not that this halts the flow of hype for some projects, and nor has it slowed media commentary on the longevity industry as it presently stands. A few of the articles in that commmentary are even interesting to read! The field has grown and is more mature now than has ever been the case. Biotech of all forms is a challenging field with a high failure rate...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 29, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Of Interest Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, September 4th 2023
In conclusion, although the contribution of CRF to GrimAgeAccel and FitAgeAccel is relatively low compared to lifestyle-related factors such as smoking, the results suggest that the maintenance of CRF is associated with delayed biological ageing in older men. « Back to Top Release of Acetylcholine is Necessary for the Aging Brain to Compensate for a Lack of Neurogenesis https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2023/09/release-of-acetylcholine-is-necessary-for-the-aging-brain-to-compensate-for-a-lack-of-neurogenesis/ Neurogenesis is the process by which new neurons are created by neural stem c...
Source: Fight Aging! - September 3, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

More Evidence for Vaccination to Reduce Alzheimer's Disease Risk
There is good evidence for the various forms of later life vaccination, such as for herpes zoster or influenza, to reduce the risk of later suffering Alzheimer's disease. One possibility is that people who take the time to obtain a vaccine tend to take better care of their health across the board. Another possibility is that vaccination produces a trained immunity effect that dampens age-related inflammation for a sustained period of time. It may also be the case that suffering from influenza, pneumonia, or similar infectious diseases causes sufficient additional inflammation to move the odds on suffering later neurodegene...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 28, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs

Better Health Care Tests, Faster
This article looks at some specific problems and solutions. Speeding up Test Development We’ve seen with COVID-19 how quickly a virus can evolve and how hard it is to design both tests and vaccinations that accommodate different variants. Virax Biolabs uses data from the World Health Organization and others to develop tests quickly. For instance, new viral variants tend to spread in the southern hemisphere before hitting the northern hemisphere in our Winter, so Virax can check existing data to prepare better tests for the North. The company is developing a T-cell diagnostics and profiling platform called Virax Immu...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - June 13, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Andy Oram Tags: Health IT Company Healthcare IT Hospital - Health System Interoperability CLIA COVID-19 Hydreight Immunexpress ixlayer Laboratories Labs Rolland Carlson Sepsis Sepsis Lab Tests Septicyte Shane Madden testing Tomasz George Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, June 5th 2023
In conclusion, higher BMR might reduce lifespan. The underlying pathways linking to major causes of death and relevant interventions warrant further investigation. Betting Against Progress Turns Out Poorly, But Can Work in the Short Term in a Slow Field https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2023/06/betting-against-progress-turns-out-poorly-but-can-work-in-the-short-term-in-a-slow-field/ Setting oneself up as a spokesperson for "we will not achieve this goal", as the fellow noted here is choosing to do, is a bet against technological progress. A glance at any few decade period in the past two hundred yea...
Source: Fight Aging! - June 4, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

Herpes Zoster Vaccination Reduces Alzheimer's Risk
Evidence exists for herpesvirus infection to increase the risk of suffering Alzheimer's disease. The evidence is mixed, however, with some studies showing no effect. There is some suggestion that the interaction of multiple viruses is the real contributing effect, which is why looking at just one virus type may produce problematic data. Researchers here show that vaccination against herpes zoster reduces Alzheimer's risk, though one might as to whether this is because of reduced viral impact, or because vaccinations can produce a trained immunity effect, reducing chronic inflammation in older people. There is grow...
Source: Fight Aging! - June 2, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, February 13th 2023
This study investigated whether taller Polish adults live longer than their shorter counterparts. Data on declared height were available from 848,860 individuals who died in the years 2004-2008 in Poland. To allow for the cohort effect, the Z-values were generated. Separately for both sexes, Pearson's r coefficients of correlation were calculated. Subsequently, one way ANOVA was performed. The correlation between adult height and longevity was negative and statistically significant in both men and women. After eliminating the effects of secular trends in height, the correlation was very weak (r = -0.0044 in men and ...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 12, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

Viral Infection in Middle Age Correlates with Later Dementia Risk
A range of evidence suggests that persistent viral infection contributes to the risk of suffering neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. This may be due to mechanisms relating to amyloid-β accumulation, in its role as an anti-microbial peptide, a part of the innate immune system. It may have more to do with lasting chronic inflammation subsequent to infection. Researchers here note another addition to the epidemiological data on this topic, in this case linking severe infections requiring hospitalization with later dementia risk. The effect sizes here are large and last for a long time following infecti...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 10, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs

Shingles of the eye can cause lasting vision impairment
Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a viral infection known for its characteristic painful, burning, or itchy rash. This rash appears along a particular affected nerve, for example in a band on one side of the chest or abdomen that extends around to the back. In fact, the name shingles comes from cingulum, the Latin word for girdle, belt, or sash. Shingles is caused by reactivation of the varicella zoster virus, the virus that causes chickenpox. After the initial chickenpox infection resolves the virus lives on in nerves all over the body, but is kept in check by the immune system. The risk of shingles therefore increases with ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 27, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Miriam Barshak, MD Tags: Eye Health Healthy Aging Vaccines Source Type: blogs

Shingles: What triggers this painful, burning rash?
If you’re like 95% of American adults, you had chickenpox as a kid. Before the United States started its widespread vaccination program in 1995, there were roughly four million cases of chickenpox every year. So, most people suffered through an infection with this highly contagious virus and its itchy, whole-body rash. But unlike many childhood viruses, the varicella-zoster virus that causes chickenpox doesn’t clear from the body when the illness ends. Instead it hangs around, taking up residence and lying dormant in the nerves, sometimes for decades, with the immune system holding it in check. In some people, it lives...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - December 14, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Kelly Bilodeau Tags: Health Healthy Aging Skin and Hair Care Vaccines Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, May 25th 2020
In conclusion, our results suggest a previously unknown mechanism whereby the canonical NF-κB cascade and a mitochondrial fission pathway interdependently regulate endothelial inflammation. Lin28 as a Target for Nerve Regeneration https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2020/05/lin28-as-a-target-for-nerve-regeneration/ Researchers here show that the gene Lin28 regulates axon regrowth. In mice, raised levels of Lin28 produce greater regeneration of nerve injuries. Past research has investigated Lin28 from the standpoint of producing a more general improvement in regenerative capacity. It improves mitochondr...
Source: Fight Aging! - May 24, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

Better Vaccines for Older People are a Poor Alternative to Better Immune Systems for Older People
The paper here offers a good overview of recent research and development aimed at improving the effectiveness of vaccines in old people. Vaccines are only poorly effective in the old because of the age-related decline of the immune system. A great deal of effort, with only some success, has gone into trying to improve vaccine effectiveness in older populations. Even if tinkering with vaccines boosts the percentage of patients who exhibit an immune response, however, that response is always going to be more anemic than that of a younger person, given the effects of aging on the immune system. This time and funding would per...
Source: Fight Aging! - May 20, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs

Vaccines for women: Before conception, during pregnancy, and after a birth
The rise of vaccine-preventable illnesses, such as measles and hepatitis, in the United States and around the globe has been alarming in recent years. For women — especially those hoping to become pregnant, as well as women who are pregnant or have recently had a baby — vaccines can be a worrisome topic. There are many misconceptions about vaccine safety in and around pregnancy that can lead to confusion and unnecessary fear of a lifesaving medical tool. As a practicing ob/gyn, I often discuss vaccines with my patients and help them sort out fears versus facts. Which vaccines should you consider before conception? The ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 10, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ilona T. Goldfarb, MD, MPH Tags: Health Parenting Pregnancy Vaccines Women's Health Source Type: blogs

Herpes infection of the cornea
The clear tissue at the front of the eye is known as the cornea, and it must remain crystal clear in order for an individual to see clearly. The herpes viruses can infect the cornea, causing damage to tissue and possibly causing lasting visual impairment if not quickly identified and treated. Herpes simplex: the cold sore virus One of the most common infections of the cornea is caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV type I and HSV type II), or the cold sore virus. The most common question from patients with HSV infection of the cornea is “How did I get this?” The answer is fairly simple. The virus is everywhere, and e...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - May 20, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Emma Davies, MD Tags: Eye Health Infectious diseases Source Type: blogs

Everyone Has a Part to Play in Ending Vaccine Hesitancy
Felicia D. Goodrum Sterling Heidi L. Pottinger By FELICIA D. GOODRUM STERLING, PhD and HEIDI L. POTTINGER, DrPH, MPH, MA The measles outbreak in Washington state this week has brought new attention to the anti-vaccine movement. In fact, the World Health Organization recently identified “vaccine hesitancy” as one of top threats to global health. In the US, the number of unvaccinated children has quadrupled since 2001, enabling the resurgence of infectious diseases long-since controlled. In fact, the WHO claims a staggering 1.5 million deaths could be prevented worldwide by improved vaccination rates. Amidst the medi...
Source: The Health Care Blog - February 12, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: matthew holt Tags: Patients Felicia Goodrum Sterling Global Health Heidi L. Pottinger public health The OpEd Project vaccines Source Type: blogs