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CCBAR Newsletter – November, 2006

Editors:  Natalia Gavrilova and Stacy Tessler Lindau

CCBAR News

• The 5th Annual Interdisciplinary Biomeasures Workshop (and first-ever international gathering) will be held June 14th-15th (Thursday-Friday), 2007 in downtown Chicago, IL, USA. Please contact Karl Mendoza: kmendoza@babies.bsd.uchicago.edu or 773-834-4832 for more information.

News From the Nature Journals, Science, BMJ and PNAS

Medicine: Grapes versus gluttony
A compound found in red grapes called resveratrol improves the health and lifespan of mice on a high calorie diet. This is potentially good news for overweight humans. Does it bode well for the rest of us too?

[Evolution] From the Cover: Hereditary family signature of facial expression
by Peleg, G., Katzir, G., Peleg, O., Kamara, M., Brodsky, L., Hel-Or, H., Keren, D., Nevo, E.
Although facial expressions of emotion are universal, individual differences create a facial expression "signature" for each person; but, is there...

[Psychology] Programming social, cognitive, and neuroendocrine development by...
by Tang, A. C., Akers, K. G., Reeb, B. C., Romeo, R. D., McEwen, B. S.
Mildly stressful early life experiences can potentially impact a broad range of social, cognitive, and physiological functions in humans, nonhuman...

[Evolution] Good genes sexual selection in nature
by Byers, J. A., Waits, L.
Whether the mate sampling and choice performed by females in nature influences offspring performance is a controversial issue in theory...

[Cell_Biology] Aging may be a conditional strategic choice and not an inevita...
by Watve, M., Parab, S., Jogdand, P., Keni, S.
Aging is known in all organisms that have different somatic and reproductive cells or in unicellular organisms that divide asymmetrically....

Biomarkers and Aging in the News Media

Menopause Therapy Sparks Controversy
To control the symptoms of menopause, women used to take a synthetic hormone replacement. But when a study found it increased risk of cancer and heart disease, some women turned to a controversial alternative, Katie Couric reports.
Key to life? Exercise, says 132-yr-old woman
JOHANNESBURG, Nov 6 (Reuters Life!) - Throw out the anti-aging food supplements and forget surgery. A South African woman, who claims to be the world's oldest living person at 132, advocates fresh food and exercise as the keys to longevity.
Study: Forget All You Know About Sex
British researchers say the first-ever global study of human sexual behavior has offered strong evidence to the contrary of many of our most firmly held beliefs on the matter.
Coffee May Protect Against Diabetes
Drinking caffeinated coffee was found to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 60 percent, a study shows.
Light Test May Illuminate Diabetes Woes
Doctors may soon be able to identify people at risk of diabetes complications simply by shining bright light on a patch of skin below the elbow.
Study: Antiaging Hormone A Bust
New research shows that elderly people who take it derive little benefit.
Blood Markers Predict Risk For Recurrent Stroke And Mortality
People who have just suffered their first ischemic stroke, a blood clot in the brain, often have elevated inflammatory biomarkers in their blood that indicate their likelihood of having another stroke or an increased risk of dying, according to Columbia University Medical Center researchers at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Brain flaws 'linked to cot death'
Brain abnormalities affecting breathing and temperature could increase cot death risk, a study suggests.
Family cancer risk 'without gene'
Women with a family breast cancer history are at higher risk even without inheriting faulty genes, a study says.
Red wine molecule helps mice live longer
LONDON (Reuters) - A compound found in red wine and grapes can extend the lifespan of obese mice and help them enjoy a healthier old age, scientists said on Wednesday.
Study: Divorced Women Have More Illness
Iowa University study says divorced women suffer chronic stress, more illness
Study Says Depression May Weaken Bones
Depression from ongoing stress may weaken bones, making osteoporosis more likely, a new study shows.
Decline In Adult Smoking Rates Stall; Millions Of Nonsmoking Americans Remain...
After years of progress in reducing adult smoking rates, a recent study issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that the reduction in U.S. adult smoking rates may have stalled. Between 2004 and 2005, there was no observed change in U.S. adult smoking rates. According to an article in this week's issue of CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), 20.9 percent-45.1 million people-in the United States are current smokers, the same rate as in 2004.
Can Undereating Make You Live Longer?
Calorie-Restriction Diet Makes Monkeys Look, Act Younger


NIH Press Releases
 

NIEHS Conference will Explore Environmental Causes of Breast Cancer
31 Oct 2006 at 2:35am
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), NIEHS Conference will Explore Environmental Causes of Breast Cancer, October 31, 2006
SIDS Infants Show Abnormalities In Brain Area Controlling Breathing, Heart Rate
31 Oct 2006 at 3:08am
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), SIDS Infants Show Abnormalities In Brain Area Controlling Breathing, Heart Rate, October 31, 2006
Distinguished Bioengineer to Present "Natural Products: Challenges and Opport...
24 Oct 2006 at 8:53am
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), Distinguished Bioengineer to Present “Natural Products: Challenges and Opportunities” at NCCAM's Distinguished Lecture Series, October 23, 2006
Gene Variation Affects Pain Sensitivity and Risk of Chronic Pain
23 Oct 2006 at 11:32am
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), Gene Variation Affects Pain Sensitivity and Risk of Chronic Pain, October 22, 2006
NCI Releases Preliminary Data on Genetic Susceptibility for Prostate Cancer
19 Oct 2006 at 10:43am
National Cancer Institute (NCI), NCI Releases Preliminary Data on Genetic Susceptibility for Prostate Cancer, October 19, 2006
NIEHS Allocates $74 Million to Study Environmental Causes of Disease
18 Oct 2006 at 2:50am
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), NIEHS Allocates $74 Million to Study Environmental Causes of Disease, October 18, 2006
Gene Linked to Autism in Families with More Than One Affected Child
18 Oct 2006 at 12:51pm
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Gene Linked to Autism in Families with More Than One Affected Child, October 17, 2006

NIH Announcements

Research on Ethical Issues in Human Subjects Research-Clarification for Prosp...
Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts

Genome-wide Association Studies in the Genes and Environment Initiative – Ava...
Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts

Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research via Methodological and Technological ...
Request for Applications from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts

Biomarkers for Neurodegeneration (R21)
RFA-NS-07-004
Application Submission/Receipt Date(s):  December 8, 2006

Functional Links between the Immune System, Brain Function and Behavior (R21)
This is a reissue of the R21 portion of PA-05-054, which was previously released on February 14, 2005  
Opening Date:  August 22, 2006 (Earliest date an application may be submitted to Grants.gov)

Events

59th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America "Education & The Gerontological Imagination "
Dallas, Texas, USA .

2007 NICHD-NCES Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) First Release Conference to be held May 8th-10th in Bethesda, MD. _____________________________________________________________________________________
This Newsletter  is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health (Grant No. 5 P30 AG012857)