Research trio claim landslides key to mountain longevity

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Javascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions. Jun 27, 2013 by Bob Yirka Photo of White Mountain peak taken in the Alpine Zone. Credit: Jonathan Lamb/Wikimedia Commons

(Phys.org) A trio of researchers, two from Aarhus University in Denmark and a third from the University of Melbourne in Australia, claim in a paper published in the journal Nature that mountain longevity is likely due to the type of landslides that occur at their base. They've created computer simulations that recreate the conditions that lead to mountain erosion and say landslide types can mean the difference between short- and long-lived mountain ranges.

Scientists have believed for many years that "quiet" mountain rangesthose that are geologically dormanttend to erode mostly due to rivers that flow around them or down their sides, cutting away at their bedrock. But until now, very little research has been done to find out why some mountain ranges last much longer than others.

To find out, the researchers in this latest effort built computer models that simulate the impact that flowing rivers have on mountain ranges. They found that the type of sediments in the river water had a very large impact on erosionthe grittier the water, the larger the impact. That was not really new, other researchers have suspected as much. What was new was that the computer simulations showed that landslides had a far bigger impact than has been previously suspected. Interestingly, the computer models showed that they can cause mountains to erode faster than normal, or slower, depending on the type and location.

Typically, landslides cause a large amount of rock and dirt to fall into a river; if that material is gritty then the landslide will likely cause the mountain to erode faster than it would have otherwise. On the other hand, if a landslide causes a backup in the river, then dirt, rocks and silt can build up in a river basin, effectively causing a slowing of river flow and thus erosion. Such slowing, the researchers found, could lead to a smoother landscape resulting in fewer landslides. This scenario would account for the vast differences found in mountain range ages. The Appalachian Mountains in the U.S., the researchers note, are several hundred million years oldolder models suggest they shouldn't have lasted longer than tens of millions of years. The type of landslides they experienced over the years, the researchers assert, helped the Appalachians hold steady.

Explore further: More new species in geologically dynamic region

More information: Nature 498, 475478 (27 June 2013) doi:10.1038/nature12218

Journal reference: Nature

2013 Phys.org

Some of the steepest mountain slopes in the world got that way because of the interplay between terrain uplift associated with plate tectonics and powerful streams cutting into hillsides, leading to erosion ...

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Research trio claim landslides key to mountain longevity

NIAGEN™ Nicotinamide Riboside Offers Huge Potential as Next Generation Niacin

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New Ingredient Backed by Scientific Evidence May Have Wide Appeal as a Dietary Supplement and Food Additive

The demand for anti-aging products among baby boomers is almost insatiable, and there is no shortage of companies looking to meet that demand. Whether it is cosmetic surgery, facial injections, supplements or newly touted concoctions, Americans will buy almost anything that promises to restore youth, vitality, physique and energy.

Many of the supplements and nutraceuticals that promise dramatic anti-aging and health benefits fail to deliver anything short of subtle results at best. Few, if any, can deliver on the promise of anti-aging benefits through a "beauty from within" concept.

There is, however, a genuinely innovative ingredient that has the promise to deliver pronounced results without invasive procedures or significant expense. It is NIAGEN from ChromaDex (OTCQB:CDXC - News), which was introduced this month as the first and only commercially available form of nicotinamide riboside. Also called NR, nicotinamide riboside is a metabolic booster found in milk and whey. Often referred to as a "miracle molecule", NR shows promise in research studies to help address many of the symptoms associated with aging and health care in general: obesity, cholesterol, muscle loss, energy decline, insulin sensitivity and more.

NR is a more potent form of the more commonly known vitamin B3 niacin. It is an important part of the cellular metabolism of humans, improving the way cells use energy. On a cellular level, NR is used to create what is called the NAD+ coenzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide a key part of a number of vital metabolic processes. NAD+ plays a key role in the way your mitochondria function. Mitochondria are known as the "energy powerhouses of the cell" because they are the source for most cellular chemical energy. But they are also involved with other tasks such as cell death, cell growth and control of the cycle of cell division. Research indicates that NR could be used as a nutritional supplement to improve metabolic and age-related disorders characterized by defective mitochondrial function.

You don't have to be a biologist to recognize that each of these functions may have something meaningful to do with the way we age as individuals and how our bodies change over time. The first and only commercially available source of NR, NIAGEN may help promote improved mitochondrial function, generating health benefits that are broad and meaningful.

In fact, studies lend a considerable degree of scholarly support to this concept. In 2007, for example, a trio of scholars from the Dartmouth Medical School's Department of Genetics and Biology performed a survey of the state of knowledge surrounding NAD+(1) and found that higher levels of cellular NAD+ may offer a host of benefits. Some of these may include potentially positive cell protective and metabolic effects, enhanced cardiovascular health, more appropriate glucose levels and improved cognitive function.

Remarkably, that report came out only three years after NR was first discovered. In that time, interest among researchers in the potential of NR as a contributor to life extension has only grown. Some of the more compelling recent published findings include:

-Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College and the Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland reported in the June 2012 issue of the journal Cell Metabolism that high doses of NR prevented obesity in mice that were fed a fatty diet. The same study also found that higher levels of NAD+ increased muscle performance, improved energy expenditure and prevented diabetes development, all without side effects.(2)

-A June 2013 study from Neurobiology of Aging reported that dietary treatment with NR might benefit the cognitive function of patients suffering with Alzheimer's Disease, and that as a supplement, NR may help reduce the presence of certain Alzheimer's-associated toxins in the brain.(3)

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NIAGEN™ Nicotinamide Riboside Offers Huge Potential as Next Generation Niacin

DOH: Solons who died after stem cell therapy were sick

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MANILA - Two congressmen who died after undergoing stem cell therapy abroad were already sick before getting treatment, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters, Ona refused to say if stem cell treatment caused the deaths of congressmen Erico Aumentado and Pedro Romualdo. Both lawmakers died of pneumonia.

"First hindi ko alam yun. Second, ang information that we got: It has nothing to do Ibig sabihin, they were already very sick bago nagpa-so-called stem call, baka sakali," he said in the interview.

On the other hand, the health secretary said clinics or hospitals in the Philippines offering stem cell treatments should be duly licensed by the Department of Health.

Dapat yung mga clinic or mga ospital na gumagawa noon kailangang mayroong license, approved ngayon ng DOH. Kaya iinspekyunin sila," he said.

House Speaker Sonny Belmonte earlier confirmed Aumentado and Romualdo had died after undergoing stem cell treatment in Germany last year. He clarified that it has not been established whether stem cell therapy was the cause of death.

Belmonte said that after having stem cell therapy, the 2 felt rejuvenated and may have exerted themselves during the last election campaign.

Belmonte said Aumentado even started walking around without a cane.

Aumentado's son, Aristotle, earlier said his father had leg thrombosis for which he had to undergo bifemoral bypass and stem cell therapy .

After stem cell therapy, his father started walking without a cane, and sometimes had low-blood sugar. However, he said they forgot to get him stem cell treatment for his father's pneumonia, which he had before the stem cell treatment in Germany last September.

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DOH: Solons who died after stem cell therapy were sick

Giving hope: The promise of stem cell therapy

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MANILA - As stem cell treatment begins to gain traction among Filipinos, a surgeon believes the country is now entering a new phase in medicine.

Dr. Levi John Lansangan, one of the founding members of the Philippine Stem Cell Society, said there is much promise in stem cell therapy because of the hope it gives to ailing patients.

"Before it was only physiologic, then it became pathologic, which deals with diseases. Then it became pharmacologic, wherein we give medicine. But now it is regenerative, wherein the body heals by itself," Lansangan told ANC's "Prime Time" on Wednesday.

Stem cell treatment involves harvesting stem cells, processing them, and injecting them back to the body.

Lansangan said the autologous treatment, which harvests stem cells from the patients own system, is the safest type of stem cell procedure.

The procedure may last for up to 4 hours, depending on the patients health. It may cost up to P1.6 million.

Stem cell treatment is believed to have the potential to cure illnesses including diabetes, heart ailments, brain damage such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers, osteoarthritis, stroke, baldness and even sports injuries.

The hardest thing to say to a patient is hopelessness. If you say there is no hope for the disease, it is very unacceptable for the patient. But with stem cell, were giving hope. Not hope in the sense that we are just giving placebo but hope that there is really something into it thats really big, Lansangan said.

But Lansangan warned that there are also risks involved in the process, particularly if stem cells are derived from animals such as rabbits and black sheep.

There are a lot of sources for stem cell. But the only stem cell sources approved by the DOH [Department of Health] come from the bone marrow, fats and blood of the patient itself. We dont recognize xenograph, or from animals. That is where the problem lies, he said.

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Giving hope: The promise of stem cell therapy

After P900K stem cell therapy, PH official feels worse

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MANILA - A government official on Thursday said he is no believer in stem cell therapy after undergoing the procedure but getting zero health benefits.

Speaking to radio dzMM, Dangerous Drugs Board chairman Antonio "Bebot" Villar said he was enticed to try out the procedure after hearing from other people about the near-miraculous effect of stem cell therapy.

He noted that even former President Joseph Estrada has attributed his rejuvenated health to stem cells.

"Kasi nababalitaan ko maganda itong stem cell. Ako ay madalas na [masakit] ang buto ko. Siguro nanghihina yung buto ko na at tsaka medyo mahina ang katawan ko kaya sinubukan ko ito," he said.

Villar said he paid 16,000 euros or more than P900,000 to Villamedica for stem cell therapy to cure aches and pains in his bones and general body weakness.

He said he underwent treatment with his wife at Makati Shangri-la hotel, along with at least a dozen others.

"July 9 may schedule na stem cell sa Shangri-la EDSA. Mga dose or kinse kami. Halos buong floor, yun chairman doctor kasama assistants na taga-Thailand," he said.

The DDB chief said he received several injections on the buttocks and ordered to stay in the hotel for a day so doctors could monitor their blood pressure. He said the stem cells were harvested from lambs.

He said that after the treatment, he tried to see if he got stronger but only felt worse.

"Ang lakas ng loob ko at naniniwala ako. Naglakad ako. Abay, sumakit ang mga paa ko. Parang wala itong epekto," he said.

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After P900K stem cell therapy, PH official feels worse

Center for Spiritual Enlightenment One Voice Choir – Paramahansa Yogananda Chants – Video

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The Rogue TV – GoldFish’s International YouTuber Moon Space Station Entry – KSP – Video

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Astronaut Luca S. Parmitano Talks About International Space Station Combustion Study FLEX-ICE-GA – Video

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