NEW YORK–Will exotic orchids soon be subjected to the same genetic scrutiny as some luxury caviars? That is just one of the coding conundrums that scientists convened at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx to discuss on a cloudy mid-April afternoon. [More]
Spurring regeneration by use of signalling molecules is a promising field of medical development. Here is an example from the Technology Review: “scientists have identified a pair of peptides that can stimulate new cell growth and improve heart function in rodents induced to have heart attacks. [Researchers are] now testing one of the peptides, periostin, in pigs induced to have heart attacks. Because these animals have hearts similar in size to humans, they provide a good model for testing new therapies prior to human clinical trials. Preliminary results show that injecting the peptide into the pericardium, the lining around the heart, seems to help. … [This] approach is, to some degree, in competition with stem-cell therapy, which is already being tested in humans. Scientists are working on different ways of harvesting and delivering stem cells to patients with heart disease, and clinical trials have so far yielded mixed results. Transplanted cells appear to have difficulty surviving and integrating into their new environment. In fact, some scientists suggests that benefit of cell transplants comes from the cells ability to stimulate innate growth. Triggering this process with peptides [may] be a simpler method of treatment of certain conditions such as cardiomyopathy [an enlarged heart] where the problem is lack of viable, contractile heart muscle cells.”
View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.technologyreview.com/printer_friendly_article.aspx?id=25139
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/
Green Tea Expands its Health Promoting Repertoire
German researchers find improved fat oxidation when men combine EGCG with caffeine.
From improving arthritis symptoms to preventing heart disease, heightening eye health to discouraging Alzheimer’s disease development, green tea is the libation of choice for health aficionados. Yet as multifaceted a drink green tea is, could encouraging weight loss be added to its repertoire? German researchers sure think so.
A team of researchers from Berlin’s University Medicine recruited 10 middle-aged men who, besides being obese, were generally healthy. They broke the 10 men into groups of two and randomly assigned them to take an allotted amount of EGCG, some in high doses, others in low doses. EGCG is the antioxidant compound in green tea believed to make it such a nutritional powerhouse.
One of the cooler aspects of this study is that all the men got a turn in taking a specific amount of EGCG. In other words, instead of taking a specific amount of EGCG for the length of the study period, the men would take 300 mg of EGCG for three days, then go off for seven days, then pick up their EGCG regimen for another three days. But instead of taking the same amount as last time, they’d take 600 milligrams. Then go on to another group 10 days later. So by the end of the study, all 10 men had gone through the five regimens.
(To be honest, I wish more studies were set up like this. It makes the results of the study more reliable.)
By the end of the study, the researchers found increases in fat oxidation across the spectrum. Compared to the time in which they took a placebo for three days, fat oxidation increased 33 percent (300 mg of EGCG daily), 20 percent (600 mg of EGCG daily), 34.5 percent (200 mg of caffeine), and 49 percent (200 mg of caffeine combined with 300 mg of EGCG).
What’s interesting is that there was greater fat oxidation when the men took the lower EGCG combination as compared to the high EGCG combination. So apparently the Goldilocks rule applies to EGCG—not too much, not too little, but an amount that’s “just right” works for weight loss.
The question, of course, is how many drinks of green tea must one guzzle in order to see any significant weight loss?
Researchers say it may be as few as three drinks or as many as 10 drinks…per day! Now, as much as I like to drink tea, I don’t have the time, nor the inclination to drink that amount of green tea every day!
But that as it may, the very fact that I could lose weight by drinking that amount of green tea every day illustrates just how amazing a drink green tea is.
The study is published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Sources:
nutraingredients.com
This release via ScienceDaily summarizes the goals of present day calorie restriction research: “Organisms from yeast to rodents to humans all benefit from cutting calories. In less complex organisms, restricting calories can double or even triple lifespan. It’s not yet clear just how much longer calorie restriction might help humans live, but those who practice the strict diet hope to survive past 100 years old. … calorie restriction influences the same handful of molecular pathways related to aging in all the animals that have been studied. Aware of the profound influence of calorie restriction on animals, some people have cut their calorie intake by 25 percent or more in hopes of lengthening lifespan. [Researcher Luigi Fontana] is less interested in calorie restriction for longer life than in its ability to promote good health throughout life. … Right now, the average lifespan in Western countries is about 80, but there are too many people who are only healthy until about age 50. We want to use the discoveries about calorie restriction and other related genetic or pharmacological interventions to close that 30-year gap between lifespan and ‘healthspan.’ However, by extending healthy lifespan, average lifespan also could increase up to 100 years of age.”
View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100415141123.htm
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/
Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) seem to be important in aging, their buildup effectively a form of damage that harms cellular processes in a number of ways. Here, researchers suggest that an AGE precursor chemical is also problematic: “Oxidative stress is believed to be a very important factor in causing aging and age-related diseases. Oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance between oxidants such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants. ROS are produced from the mitochondrial electron transport chain and many oxidative reactions. Methylglyoxal (MG) is a highly reactive dicarbonyl metabolite formed during glucose, protein and fatty acid metabolism. MG levels are elevated in hyperglycemia and other conditions. An excess of MG formation can increase ROS production and cause oxidative stress. MG reacts with proteins, DNA and other biomolecules, and is a major precursor of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs are also associated with the aging process and age-related diseases such as cardiovascular complications of diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and connective tissue disorders. AGEs also increase oxidative stress. In this review we discuss the potential role of MG in the aging process through increasing oxidative stress besides causing AGEs formation. Specific and effective scavengers and crosslink breakers of MG and AGEs are being developed and can become potential treatments to slow the aging process and prevent many diseases.”
View the Article Under Discussion: http://pmid.us/20393592
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/
Study: Underage Drinking Increases Benign Breast Disease, Breast Cancer Risk
Teenage girls that drink alcohol are about five times more likely to develop what's often a precursor to breast cancer.
When we go to get something checked and the results come back benign, that’s usually a positive prognosis. But if you get a benign prognosis and you’re a teenaged girl that drinks alcohol, a “benign” prognosis may be a bad prognosis.
According to a recent study conducted by researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine, young women who drink an average of 6.5 alcoholic beverages a week are five and a half times more likely to develop a condition called benign breast disease. Benign breast disease, or fibrocystic breast disease, is similar to breast cancer in that it’s characterized by breast pain, discomfort, nipple discharge and lump formation, but unlike breast cancer, the lumps that form are usually non-life threatening.
At least, until now. Because according to the study’s lead researcher, Graham Colditz, benign breast disease is a warning sign for eventual breast cancer development.
Colditz and his colleagues discovered this after looking into the health surveys of over 9,000 “tweens” and teenagers between the ages of nine and 15 years old. Parts of the survey asked how often the girls drank alcohol and whether or not they’d been diagnosed with benign breast disease.
Reporting in the May issue of the journal Pediatrics, the St. Louis-based researchers found a relationship between benign breast disease diagnosis and the amount the girls drank. The more they drank, the more likely they were to be diagnosed with benign breast disease.
Besides alcohol, other risk factors for fibrocystic breast disease include a high fat diet, excessive consumption of caffeine and whether there’s a family history of the disease.
Now, before you cast off this study by saying, “I know my daughter and there’s no way she drinks alcohol,” permit me to tell you a short story that a friend of mine recently told me. A true story.
A friend of mine lives in New Hampshire and works as a substitute teacher at a local junior high school. As a substitute teacher, it comes as no surprise that the kids are pretty unruly when he’s leading the classroom, as the word “substitute” has long been loosely translated by students to meaning, “Hey, the regular teacher is gone, so I can get away with more!!”
But what did come as a surprise was the recent arrest of an eighth grade girl due to underage drinking. Apparently, throughout the school year, she had been sneaking alcohol into the school by combining beer and soda pop, sipping her beverage throughout the day like it was nothing out of the ordinary. The smell of beer on her breath finally did her in.
Moral of the story: Don’t automatically assume your son or daughter isn’t drinking. Because the father of this girl was stunned, even though 11 percent of underage drinkers take their first drink in the eighth grade.
For the sake of your kids’ short and long term health, remind them about the dangers of alcohol consumption—even if you’ve had the conversation dozens of times. Remain ever vigilant of what they’re doing and with whom.
It’s a matter of life and death.
It will be possible to replace the functions of some organs with machines in the near future, this advance accomplished on much the same timescale as the creation of tissue engineered replacement organs: “An artificial pancreas system that closely mimics the body’s blood sugar control mechanism was able to maintain near-normal glucose levels without causing hypoglycemia in a small group of patients. The system, combining a blood glucose monitor and insulin pump technology with software that directs administration of insulin and the blood-sugar-raising hormone glucagon, was developed at Boston University (BU). The first clinical trial of the system was conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and confirmed the feasibility of an approach utilizing doses of both hormones … Large doses of glucagon are used as a rescue drug for people with severely low blood sugar. Our system is designed to counteract moderate drops in blood sugar with minute doses of glucagon spread out throughout the day, just as the body does in people without diabetes.” The future for this sort of technology is one of miniaturization, falling cost, and the possibility of incorporation into the body as an implanted device.
View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-04/mgh-nap041210.php
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/
A general interest article on transhumanist visions of the future and immortality in the sense of the continued repair and reversal of aging through medical technology: “Immortality could be sneaking up faster than we can believe. Barely a month goes by without some new advance in organ replacement, and a recent operation to replace a boy’s windpipe with one generated from his own stem cells was called ‘embarrassingly simple’ by the specialist in charge. Further breakthroughs could be made by the SENS Foundation, led by the radical immortalist Aubrey de Grey, with a brutally simple plan to give humans an unbeatable protection against cancer. This involves limiting human cells’ ability to divide at cancerous levels, with regular top-ups from externally grown cells replacing worn-out tissue. If these technologies can hold to their promise, biological immortality, perhaps the most cherished goal of the transhumanists, may be with us in a few decades. A loose grouping of scientists, philosophers and sympathisers, with organisations such as the Oxford Future of Humanity Institute and Humanity+, transhumanists urge human progress through radical technological enhancement. With regards to immortality, I’m certainly a sympathiser: if a dictator was murdering tens of millions of people right across the world, we’d gladly do anything to overthrow him. And yet ageing, as eloquently put by the transhumanist philosopher Nick Bostrom, is a tyrant that kills us by the cartload – and what do we do to stop it?”
View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/15/transhumanism-biological-immortality
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/
From the University of Bristol: “Synthetic biology is about improving our ability to engineer biology, and to engineer biology you have to understand the underlying chemistry. … We look at natural molecules and ask, ‘How does nature do this?’ And then we take those key features and build them into synthetic molecules to mimic the natural ones. … Specifically, Woolfson is trying to capture features of the materials that hold cells together and which provide the environment to turn collections of cells into tissues such as skin, liver and networks of nerves. This ‘glue’ is called the extracellular matrix (ECM). However, the ECM is made up of large, complicated molecules with lots of different chemistries, so Woolfson began to investigate whether it would be possible to build something similar to ECM, but out of much simpler and more chemically accessible materials. That was 10 years ago. Today he has developed nano-sized proteins that have been designed to ’self assemble’ into long, spaghetti-like strings, which then become entangled to form a gel. … The result is a hydrogel (a gel in which the liquid constituent is water) made up of these tiny, spaghetti-like strings of proteins which acts as a scaffold to support cell growth in much the same way as the ECM does.”
View the Article Under Discussion: http://bristol.ac.uk/news/2010/6928.html
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/
The Tithonus Error is the widespread and mistaken belief that extending the human life span will result in us being aged and decrepit for longer. This is not the case, however: engineered longevity can only be accomplished by repairing or reducing cellular and biochemical damage – which means you will be younger for longer. At In Search of Enlightenment, you’ll find an examination of the roots of the Tithonus Error: “There is an irrational public predisposition to regard research on specific late-life diseases as marvelous but to regard research on aging, and thus all late-life diseases together, as a public menace bound to produce a world filled with nonproductive, chronically disabled, unhappy senior citizens consuming more resources than they produce. … I am working on a new paper [that] examines how misperceptions about the present and future state of global health are themselves major obstacles to tackling aging. Because [imagined simulations of the future] are based on memories, medical research that proposes to eliminate a disease is much more likely to invoke hedonic experiences in our simulations then is a medical intervention that retards aging. … our inability to make accurate, sensible simulations of what a future of retarding human aging would entail (for both the developed and developing world) is itself one of the greatest obstacles to prioritizing aging research. And this problem needs to be redressed.”
View the Article Under Discussion: http://colinfarrelly.blogspot.com/2010/04/prospection-errors-are-obstacles-to.html
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/
From the SENS Foundation: “To develop an unbreachable defense against cancer, SENS Foundation is pursuing the WILT (Wholebody Interdiction of Lengthening of Telomeres) strategy (OncoSENS) of systematically deleting genes essential to the cellular telomere-maintenance mechanisms (TMM) from all somatic cells, while ensuring ongoing tissue repair and maintenance through periodic re-seeding of somatic stem-cell pools with autologous TMM-deficient cells whose telomeres have been lengthened ex vivo. In addition to the deletion of one or more genes coding for essential element(s) of the telomerase holoenzyme, success will also require the deletion of some essential element of the machinery for the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT) phenomenon, observed in a minority of cancer cells. Heretofore, the identity of that machinery has been elusive. Yeast cells have the ability to lengthen telomeres through a telomerase-independent mechanism involving telomere recombination, and there has been evidence for some time suggesting that ALT cancers lengthen telomeres through a similar process.” The article goes on to look in detail at one plausible candidate mechanism for ALT, and how this new knowledge might be incorporated into WILT.
View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.sens.org/node/739
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/
As illustrated by the reliability theory of aging, we are complex machines, and our life expectancy is a function of the pace at which we accumulate damage. For example, one contribution to rising life spans over the past century was the elimination of much of the burden of chronic disease throughout early life and middle age. Here, however, is an example of another, less common form of damage that nonetheless has the expected end result: “Although more children today are surviving cancer than ever before, young patients successfully treated in the 1970s and 80s may live a decade less, on average, than the general population … The study, based on a computer model, is the first to estimate the lifetime toll of childhood cancer and the grueling but increasingly successful treatments for diseases such as kidney and bone cancers, leukemia, and brain tumors. About 10,000 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer annually, and the five-year survival rate has risen to about 80 percent overall. … The study is based on how children were treated in the 1970s and early 1980s. It is our hope that when we see data from more recent cohorts of patients, there will be improved life expectancy as a result of some changes that pediatric oncologists have made.”
View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-04/dci-ccs040510.php
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/
Plans by FDA to Adopt stricter standards for Bioequivalence, Bioavailability for generic drugs could sound trouble for Indian Generic Manufactures. Already most of the smaller companies are finding it difficult to get FDA approval letters. QSR Draft Guidance An industry working group has urged the FDA to consider adopting its guidance to outline quality system requirements (QSR) for bioequivalence and bioavailability testing during drug clinical trials.
There was a recent report in NY times that mentioned about several thousand patients receiving nitroglycerin tablets that were not approved by FDA http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/business/27nitro.html
FDA recently evaluated 2070 human studies conducted between 1996 and 2007. These studies compared the absorption of brand name and generic drugs into a person’s body. These studies were submitted to FDA to support approval of generics. The average difference in absorption into the body between the generic and the brand name was only 2.3%. Some generics were absorbed slightly more, some slightly less. This amount of difference would be expected and acceptable, whether for one batch of brand name drug tested against another batch of the same brand, or for a generic tested against a brand name. In fact, there have been studies in which branded drugs were compared with themselves, as well as with a generic. As a rule, the difference for the generic-to-brand comparison was about the same as the brandto- brand comparison” (www.fda.gov/ Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/Under standingGenericDrugs/ucm167991. htm)
Fore more updates attend the event below
Attend the http://www.informaglobalevents.com/event/beba
How is it possible for evolutionary selection to favor genetic variants beneficial in human old age, long after reproduction is impossible? An open access paper examines this question: “Evidence points towards the existence of a strong heritable component of human longevity. Around a quarter to a third of the variability of lifespan can be attributed to the action of genes. One of the best examples of a gene affecting survival in old age is the apolipoprotein E gene APOE. … One of the major ideas in the evolutionary theory of ageing is the suggestion that, because the force of natural selection declines with age, alleles with deleterious effects seen only at older ages can reach higher frequencies than those that have their effects earlier in life. Therefore, if a gene exerts an effect only after the end of the reproductive phase of the lifespan it has been thought unlikely that it could have been subject to significant direct selection pressure … It is often claimed that genes affecting health in old age, such as cardiovascular and Alzheimer diseases, are beyond the reach of natural selection. We show in a simulation study based on known genetic (apolipoprotein E) and non-genetic risk factors (gender, diet, smoking, alcohol, exercise) that, because there is a statistical distribution of ages at which these genes exert their influence on morbidity and mortality, the effects of selection are in fact non-negligible.”
View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2848859/
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/
Are you looking for another reason to exercise? Exercise can improve your life by increasing creativity, focus and intelligence.
Many people look at exercise as a requirement. They know they are supposed to exercise, but they don’t necessarily enjoy it. As a result, many dieters find that they are forcing themselves to exercise. On the other hand, often people who aren’t trying to lose weight skip exercising altogether. As you know, everyone should exercise because there are countless health benefits to exercising, which include fighting diseases like stroke, osteoporosis, diabetes and high blood pressure.
However, it is important to realize that exercise can improve your life in ways that are not necessarily even fitness related. Exercise can allow you to find solutions, boost creativity and improve your focus.
A recent study at the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan showed that the brainpower of mice improves when they are allowed to exercise. When mice are forced to exercise more than they normally would, the mice’s thinking power improves yet further. Scientists noted major developments in the brain when the mice were pushed beyond their natural exercise inclinations.
So does the brainpower improve because of increased blood flow to the brain? Interestingly, a recent study out of Columbia University and the Salk Institute showed that exercise’s improvements in focus and thinking result from more than just blood flow. Scott Small and Fred Gage conducted this experiment. They found that during exercise, muscles contract and chemicals and proteins are released. One protein called IGF-1 releases chemicals in the brain that stimulate neurons to branch out in new directions. The end result is new connections between our brain cells. These new connections are responsible for making us smarter!
As you boost your focus and mental ability, you also boost your creativity when you exercise. Keith Sawyer, PhD the author of the book Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration stated “Physical activity gets your mind into the bodily experience, so that subconscious connections can pop up.” Exercise also releases cortisol from your body. If there is too much cortisol in your system caused by stress, your ability to be creative shuts down.
Make sure that you do not force too much exercise on yourself. After all, overtraining can lead to injuries and can be counterproductive to improving your life. Exercise for at least 30 minutes at a time. If you are looking to find creative ideas, consider exercising alone as an exercise companion may distract you. Bring a small notepad and jot down ideas.
Once you understand these benefits of exercising, you will be more likely to want to integrate exercise in your daily routine. If you are having difficulty focusing or being creative, you will quickly find that exercise can be the solution to your problems.
A new European study releases their findings that teens can override the effect of the “fatso gene” through at least one hour per day of exercise.
A new European study whose results are published in the April edition of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine states that exercising just one hour per day can help teenagers to override the effects of the “fatso” gene.
There is no doubt that the obesity gene can make people gain weight. One gene called the “FTO gene” has a particularly strong impact. People with 2 copies of this gene weigh about 7 more pounds on average.
The EU and Spanish and Swedish governments funded this study which sought to find out if recommending one hour of exercise to teens was beneficial in fighting the effects of the fat gene. Researchers had 752 teenagers wear a device, which monitored their physical activity.
As it turned out, those who had the obesity gene weighed the same as those without it… as long as they exercised. However, if the teens had the gene and exercised less than one hour per day, they always had more fat and larger waistlines.
This new study supports the current advice given to children and teens in the U.S., which is to get one hour of physical exercise, preferably aerobic exercise, per day.
Dr. Alan Shuldiner of the University of Maryland, stated “The message is clear: genes are not destiny. Those with obesity susceptibility genes should be especially motivated to engage in a physically active lifestyle.”
This study is very good news. As it turns out, even teens with the fat gene, are not destined to a life of obesity. They can control their fate to some extent.
Of course, the fact of the matter is that everyone, not just teens, should be exercising every day. The reasons are quite vast. Exercise improves your mood and quality of life. It can improve your sleep and boost your energy level.
Exercise has also been shown to prevent a variety of diseases, everything from certain types of cancer to heart disease to osteoporosis.
Sources:
news.yahoo.come
mayoclinic.com
Eating small doses of chocolate has been shown to lower your risk of a stroke or heart attack.
A new study indicates that eating chocolate each day can be good for your heart. According to this study from the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Nuthetal, Germany, eating small amounts of chocolate can reduce your risk of a stroke or heart attack by 40%.
To obtain their results, German scientists followed 20,000 people over eight years. They sent them a daily questionnaire about their diet and exercise. The people in this survey had no history of heart disease and had similar healthy habits. Researchers found that those who ate about a square of chocolate a day obtained these positive results of a lower risk of stroke or heart attack.
Experts theorize that it is the flavonols in chocolate that are having this positive impact. Flavonols can cause muscles in blood vessels to widen and thus lower blood pressure.
Brian Buijsse from German Institute of Human Nutrition stated, “It’s a bit too early to come up with recommendations that people should eat more chocolate, but if people replace sugar or high-fat snacks with a little piece of dark chocolate, that might help.”
Of course, don’t take these findings as an excuse to go out and gorge on chocolate! Eating large amounts of chocolate can quickly pack on the pounds. Also when you are choosing chocolate, be sure to opt for a choice with high cacao content. Avoid milk chocolate bars from the grocery store as have a lower ratio of the beneficial elements. They are also packed with sugar and often include artificial ingredients as well.
Aside from lowering your risk of stroke and heart attack, dark chocolate has other beneficial properties. It boosts good cholesterol and lowers stress and anxiety. The flavonoids in chocolate have also been shown to fight aging.
Sources:
news.yahoo.com
denverpost.com
Via EurekAlert!, another example of testing stem cells and heart regeneration: “Some patients with heart muscles seriously affected by coronary heart disease may soon be able to benefit from an innovative treatment. Researchers [are] evaluating the safety, feasibility and efficacy of injecting stem cells into the hearts of patients while they are undergoing coronary bypass surgery. These stem cells could improve healing of the heart and its function. The IMPACT-CABG (implantation of autologous CD133+ stem cells in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting) protocol evaluates this experimental procedure, which is destined for patients suffering from ischemic heart disease, in which the blood supply to the heart is decreased and associated with heart failure. These patients undergo open-heart coronary bypass surgery, performed by the medical team to improve perfusion of the heart muscle. A few weeks ago, the first patient received progenitor CD133+ stem cells isolated from his bone marrow and enriched, [and] has been doing very well ever since. Already, improvement has been noted in the contraction capacity of his heart, which has improved its ability to pump blood.”
View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-04/chdl-hcy_1041110.php
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/
This seems like a logical next step for tissue printing technologies: “researchers have rigged up a device that can spray skin cells directly onto burn victims, quickly protecting and healing their wounds as an alternative to skin grafts. They have mounted the device, which has so far only been tested on mice, in a frame that can be wheeled over a patient in a hospital bed. … A laser can take a reading of the wound’s size and shape so that a layer of healing skin cells can be precisely applied. … We literally print the cells directly onto the wound. We can put specific cells where they need to go. … [Researchers] dissolved human skin cells from pieces of skin, separating and purifying the various cell types such as fibroblasts and keratinocytes. They put them in a nutritious solution to make them multiply and then used a system similar to a multicolor office inkjet printer to apply first a layer of fibroblasts and then a layer of keratinocytes, which form the protective outer layer of skin. … The sprayed cells also incorporated themselves into surrounding skin, hair follicles and sebaceous glands, probably because immature cells called stem cells were mixed in with the sprayed cells.”
View the Article Under Discussion: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/100408/science/science_us_wounds_printer
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/
Greater understanding of the immune system means a greater ability to reprogram its components – such as errant immune cells that cause autoimmune diseases. From EurekAlert!: a study “describes a unique therapeutic ‘nanovaccine’ that successfully reverses [type 1] diabetes (T1D) in a mouse model of the disease. In addition to providing new insight into diabetes, the research also reveals an aspect of the pathogenesis of the autoimmune response that may provide a therapeutic strategy for multiple autoimmune disorders. … [Researchers] wanted to find a way to counteract the harmful autoimmune response without compromising general immunity. They discovered that our bodies have a built-in mechanism that tries to stop the progression of autoimmune diseases like T1D. Essentially, there is an internal tug-of-war between aggressive T-cells that want to cause the disease and weaker T cells that want to stop it from occurring … The researchers also developed [a] nanotechnology-based ‘vaccine’ that selectively boosted the weak white blood T cells, enabling them to effectively counter the damage caused by their overactive T cell relatives. … their nanovaccine blunted T1D progression in prediabetic mice and restored normal blood sugar in diabetic mice. … If the paradigm on which this nanovaccine is based holds true in other chronic autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and others, [nanovaccines] might find general applicability in autoimmunity.”
View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-04/cp-ra040510.php
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/
