Feature Channels: Aging

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Figuring out what’s happening at a cellular and molecular level may help scientists develop ways to treat or prevent age-related, neurogenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Through National Institutes of Health funding, pharmacy professor Xiangming Guan and his team at South Dakota State University, Guan and his team developed the first imaging reagent that can determine thiol levels in intact living cells. Now they are working on reagents that can selectively show thiol density in subcellular structures, specifically the nucleus and mitochondria. Guan hopes to develop a nontoxic reagent safe enough to be used for diagnostic imaging, like an MRI.

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A team of University of Missouri researchers has discovered that another nutrient in garlic offers the brain protection against aging and disease. The finding provides more understanding of how garlic may prevent age-related neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

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Having a strong sense that your life has meaning and direction may make you less likely to develop areas of brain damage caused by blockages in blood flow as you age. This research is reported in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke.

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Raising the age of eligibility for the Old Age Security pension and the Guaranteed Income Supplement will increase inequalities between older people. “This change will force retired people into greater dependence on their private savings to support them as they get older. Research shows that greater privatisation of the retirement income system results in growing inequalities among the older population. When you raise the pension eligibility age, you are also opening the door to rising disparities” according to demographer Yves Carrière, of the University of Montreal, who presented, last week in Ottawa, a report on this topic to the Population Change and Life-course Strategic Knowledge Cluster meeting.

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Men who exercise more have better erectile and sexual function, regardless of race, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

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In 1971 there were 139,000 Canadians aged 85 and over. By 2013 their numbers had risen to 702,000. The Oldest Old as they have become known today represent 2% of the total Canadian population. “They are a demographic reality which has to be taken into account in formulating public policy”, according to Jacques Légaré, a demographer at the University of Montreal.

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By 2030, chronic subdural hemorrhage (SDH) will be the most common adult brain condition requiring neurosurgical intervention in the U.S., according to a new study conducted by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center. And hospitals and neurosurgeons may be under-manned to handle the projected onslaught of patients.

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Researchers at Mayo Clinic developed a new scoring system to help determine which elderly people may be at a higher risk of developing the memory and thinking problems that can lead to dementia. The study is published in the March 18, 2015, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Municipalities throughout Illinois will need to improve transportation options, add a variety of housing types, and strengthen health and human services to meet the day-to-day needs of the aging population, according to a report by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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Vitamin D may play a vital role in the prevention and treatment of diseases associated with aging, according to researchers at Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (MNSON). These findings were published in the latest issue of the Journal of Aging and Gerontology.

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Older people who are physically active may be protecting themselves from the effects of small areas of brain damage that can affect their movement abilities, according to a new study published in the March 11, 2015, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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A new class of drugs identified and validated by Mayo Clinic researchers along with collaborators at Scripps Research Institute and others, clearly reduces health problems in mice by limiting the effect of senescent cells — cells that contribute to frailty and diseases associated with age. The researchers say this is a first step toward developing similar treatments for aging patients. Their findings appear today in the journal Aging Cell.

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A research team from The Scripps Research Institute, Mayo Clinic and other institutions has identified a new class of drugs that in animal models dramatically slows the aging process—alleviating symptoms of frailty, improving cardiac function and extending a healthy lifespan.

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The popular dietary supplement ubiquinone, also known as Coenzyme Q10, is widely believed to function as an antioxidant, protecting cells against damage from free radicals. But a new study by scientists at McGill University finds that ubiquinone is not a crucial antioxidant.

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Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a mechanism that causes long-term memory loss due to age in Drosophila, the common fruit fly, a widely recognized substitute for human memory studies.

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Think of it as interval training for the dinner table.

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Targeting mechanisms in the central nervous system that sense energy generated by nutrients might yield the beneficial effects of low-calorie diets on healthy aging without the need to alter food intake, suggests new research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

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Baby boomers trying to pick the best living arrangements for themselves or their parents as they age should be wary of a phrase they coined in their younger years: If it feels good, do it.

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The human genome project captured the public imagination when its first draft was published 14 years ago this week in the international science journal Nature, but the epigenome may hold the real promise for conquering disease.

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Georgia Tech study challenged younger and older people to look at faces at names while either listening to non-lyrical music or nothing at all. The college-aged participants had no problems - the music didn't affect their performance. But the older adults remembered 10 percent fewer names when listening to background music or musical rain (as compared to silence).

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A compound found in common foods such as red grapes and peanuts may help prevent age-related decline in memory, according to new research published by a faculty member in the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine.

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Eating healthier is a common recommendation for people looking to reduce their risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other medical concerns. Now a growing body of research is evaluating whether certain dietary changes can impact the skin by reducing the signs of aging and improving some skin conditions. Nutricosmetics – the use of nutrition or nutritional supplements for skin health and beauty – is popular abroad and may be the next frontier for improving skin health and beauty in the United States.

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An Indiana University Media School professor's new book brings readers face-to-face with the unavoidable truth that the population is going to have to work longer as life expectancy improves, and companies and policymakers will play key roles in making this workforce transition possible and successful.

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Lewy Body Dementia Association offers support to the family, friends and fans of Stan Mikita.

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Results from a recent unpublished study at University of the Sciences indicate that reducing the clutter and narrowing one’s possessions, activities, and thoughts can play a key role in boosting their mental and physical health.

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University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences researchers find that older adults may need to double up on the recommended daily allowance of protein to efficiently maintain and build muscle. The article is published in the AJP—Endocrinology and Metabolism and is highlighted as part of the APSselect program.

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Former National Football League (NFL) players who participated in tackle football before the age of 12 were more likely to have memory and thinking problems in adulthood, according to a new study published in the January 28, 2015, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Older women don't have an increased overall risk of complications from breast reconstruction after mastectomy, reports the February issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

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People who carry a variant of a gene that is associated with longevity also have larger volumes in a front part of the brain involved in planning and decision-making, according to researchers at UC San Francisco.

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In a pair of related studies, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have shown their drug candidates can target biological pathways involved in the destruction of brain cells in Parkinson's disease.

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Fears of a link between testosterone replacement therapy and cardiovascular risk are misplaced, according to a review published in this month’s Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The therapy has come under widespread scrutiny in recent months, including by a federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel convened last fall.

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Most young adults might assume they have years before needing to worry about their cholesterol. But new findings from researchers at the Duke Clinical Research Institute suggest that even slightly high cholesterol levels in otherwise healthy adults between the ages of 35 and 55 can have long-term impacts on their heart health, with every decade of high cholesterol increasing their chances of heart disease by 39 percent.

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The recommendation that adults should get 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week may be too ambitious for many middle-aged and older adults. That’s one recommendation from physical activity and health experts who published a paper this week in the British Medical Journal.

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Sound sleep in young and middle-aged people helps memory and learning, but as they hit their seventh, eighth and ninth decades — and generally don’t sleep as much or as well — sleep is not linked so much to memory, a Baylor University researcher says.

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The amount of time a person sits during the day is associated with a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and death, regardless of regular exercise— according to a review study published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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Over a 12-year period, the prevalence of falls among older adults appeared to be on the rise, a new nationally representative study says.

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A stem cell capable of regenerating both bone and cartilage has been identified in bone marrow of mice.

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Depression and other behavior changes may show up in people who will later develop Alzheimer’s disease even before they start having memory problems, according to a new study published in the January 14, 2015, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Many of the 40 million older adults in the United States are struggling financially. They lack the assets to see them through their later years, when they require more health care and other services than they expected. A new book, edited by Washington University in St. Louis faculty, concludes that older adults require financial knowledge and access to financial services in order to build secure lives.

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Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found that resveratrol, the red-wine ingredient once touted as an elixir of youth, powerfully activates an evolutionarily ancient stress response in human cells. The finding should dispel much of and controversy about how resveratrol really works.

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The term Alzheimer's is frequently used to describe all dementias even though there are many different causes for dementia. Lewy body dementia affects 1.4 million American and is frequently misdiagnosed.

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A common over-the-counter drug that tackles pain and fever may also hold keys to a longer, healthier life, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist. Regular doses of ibuprofen extended the lifespan of multiple species, according to research published in the journal Public Library of Science-Genetics.

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A Northern Arizona University researcher discovered one exercise session can improve the body's antioxidant system.

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Extra vitamin E protected older mice from a bacterial infection that commonly causes pneumonia. The study from researchers at Tufts University found that extra vitamin E helped regulate the mice’s immune system.

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Scientists have long known the p53 protein suppresses tumors. However, a recent animal study by UC Davis researchers has uncovered a complicated relationship between p53 and another protein, Rbm38, highlighting how the body calibrates protein levels. Too much Rbm38 reduces p53 levels, increasing the risk of cancer. Too little Rbm38 allows p53 overexpression, causing premature aging. The study was published online in the journal PNAS Dec. 15.

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In a study published today by Nature, researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center used a microscopic worm (C. elegans) to identify a new path that could lead to drugs to slow aging and the chronic diseases that often accompany it—and might even lead to better cosmetics.

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Caring for a chronically ill family member can impact the caregiver’s physical, biological and mental health, according to assistant professor SunWoo Kang of the South Dakota State University counseling and human development department. “Higher levels of marital strain among family caregivers exacerbate the negative health impact,” she said. “In contrast, less strain from the spouse buffered this effect.”

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People diagnosed with diabetes in midlife are more likely to experience significant memory and cognitive problems during the next 20 years than those with healthy blood sugar levels, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests.

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Financial management skills can decline with age, which can lead to catastrophic money woes for seniors.Declining financial aptitude can also be a sign of impending memory loss. UAB researchers present some warning signs.

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A recent study by Allison Scott, assistant professor in the UK College of Communication and Information, examines how the quality of communication among family members and care givers impacts end-of-life decisions. Scott says family communication holds a great deal of potential for improving end-of-life health care.