Editors: Natalia Gavrilova and Stacy Tessler Lindau
The 5th Annual
Interdisciplinary Biomeasures Workshop held in Chicago in June 2007 was
a success. Workshop proceedings are in the state of preparation
and will be issued in the nearest future. Jessica Schwartz joined
CCBAR in August as the Project Coordinator. Please contact
Jessica if you have questions regarding CCBAR activities (email
jschwartz@babies.bsd.uchicago.edu or call 773-834-4832). For more
information on
the Workshop please visit CCBAR
website at: http://biomarkers.uchicago.edu/ChicagoBiomarkerWorkshop2007.html.
The American
Federation of Aging Research (AFAR) meeting, Seeking Biomarkers of Aging and Diseases
of Aging, was held in New York on October 2nd 2007.
Here is the report by Dima
Qato, PharmD (CCBAR):
The focus of the conference was on biomarkers as indicators of
biological aging (vs. demographic/chronological aging) and as
predictors of longevity. In this regard, an emphasis on biomarkers of
the aging process, rather than age-related disease, was discussed as
integral to the measurement of the global effects of interventions and
therapies. Accelerated aging vs. normal aging were distinguished
in order to emphasize the use of biomarkers as tools to understand the
complex processes underlying biological aging that are amenable to
modification. In this context, when using biomarkers to predict
and understand aging, it is important to take into account the overall
effects of genetics (and pharmacogenetics) and the biological
environment on the predisposition to decreased survival. Examples
illustrating the physiological mechanisms and pathways underlying the
relationship between specific intervention (e.g. caloric restriction,
drugs) and aging were presented to emphasize the importance of using a
panel of biomarkers when understanding aging. Even though aging
is a complex process, as the conference presenters highlighted, the
appropriate identification of biomarkers of aging will advance
translational research and lead to the development of targeted
therapies and interventions that could potentially extend the healthy
lifespan.
[Medical_Sciences]
Analysis of potential transcriptomic biomarkers for Huntin...
Highly quantitative biomarkers of neurodegenerative disease remain
an important need in the urgent quest for disease-modifying therapies.
For Huntington's disease...
[Medical_Sciences]
Human cardiac stem cells The identification of cardiac progenitor
cells in mammals raises the
possibility that the human heart contains a population of stem...
[Evolution]
Different cognitive processes underlie human mate choices and mat...
Based on undergraduates' self-reports of mate preferences for
various traits and self-perceptions of their own levels on those
traits, Buston...
[Medical_Sciences]
Oxidative stress causes bone loss in estrogen-deficient mi...
Increased production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in the bone
marrow (BM) in response to both oxidative stress and...
[Medical_Sciences]
Critique of early models of the demographic impact of HIV/...
Early mathematical models varied in their predictions of the impact
of HIV/AIDS on population growth from minimal impact to reductions...
[Anthropology-BS]
Heritability of ultimatum game responder behavior
Experimental evidence suggests that many people are willing to
deviate from materially maximizing strategies to punish unfair
behavior. Even though...
• Even
a little exercise has health benefits: study
A new study shows that even low levels of
weekly exercise - below currently recommended levels -- has major
health benefits. In the study, 30 minutes of brisk walking three days
per week was enough to drive down blood pressure and improve overall
fitness in a group of healthy sedentary adults.
• Survey:
Seniors Maintain Active Sex Lives
Many people maintain rich, active sex lives well into their 80s,
according to the first detailed examination of sexuality among older
Americans.
• Vital
Signs: At Risk: Isolating the Factors Involved in Breast Cancer
Breast density and high levels of circulating sex hormones are
independent risk factors for breast cancer in postmenopausal women, a
new study finds.
• Loneliness
Can Speed Aging
Loneliness may take its toll on your health as well as your happiness,
say University of Chicago researchers.
• Antioxidants
May Up Skin Cancer Risk
Supplements may increase risk of melanoma and other skin cancers for
women.
• Getting
Enough Vitamin D?
Older Americans may fall short, leading to health problems
• Depression
more damaging than some chronic illnesses
Depression is more damaging to everyday health than
chronic diseases such as angina, arthritis, asthma and diabetes,
researchers said on Friday.
• Extreme
Dieting: Fountain Of Youth?
A small but growing movement called "Calorie Restriction" seeks to
lengthen life by eating less -- much less. Adherents believe cutting
calories is the key to living longer and feeling younger. Dr. Emily
Senay has the skinny on it.
• How
the Elderly Stay Positive
With age, the brain's response to negative emotions may wane
• Bigger
Waist, Bigger Colon Cancer Risk
For every 4 inches gained around the waist, the risk of colon cancer
goes up 33% in men and 16% in women, Swedish researchers find.
• USC
Study Find Links Between Cancer, Alcohol
According to a study released by USC, post-menopausal women who drink
two or more alcoholic beverages per day double their risk of
endometrial cancer.
• Vital
Signs: Patterns: Ovary Removal May Raise the Risk of Dementia
Women whose ovaries are removed before menopause may be at increased
risk for dementia, a new study reports.
• Elderly
at highest risk for suicide
The elderly are the highest risk population in the USA for suicide. But
few suicide-prevention programs target them a result, ...
• Older
Men, Younger Women = Long Life
Scientists say older men coupling with younger women increased human
lifespan.
• Omega-3
fatty acids protect against diabetes: study
A diet rich in fish and other sources of omega-3
fatty acids helped cut the risk that children with a family history of
diabetes would develop the disease, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
• Why
You Can't Overlook A Pretty Face
Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but the eye finds it really
hard to look away from the physically attractive -- and new research
shows why that is.
• Biologists
Link Huntington's Disease To Health Benefits In Young
A new hypothesis has been proposed to explain prevalence of the disease
by suggesting that people with Huntington's disease are healthier in
childbearing years and have more children than general population.
Huntington's strengthens the immune system during most fertile years
allowing them to produce more offspring. Symptoms associated with
Huntington's occur later in life, after peak reproductive age. The
researchers' hypothesis challenges a long held belief that people with
Huntington's had mo...
• Older
Blacks And Latinos Still Lag Whites In Controlling Diabetes
Despite decades of advances in diabetes care, African-Americans and
Latinos are still far less likely than whites to have their blood sugar
under control, even with the help of medications, a new national study
finds. That puts them at a much higher risk of blindness, heart attack,
kidney failure and other long-term diabetes complications. But the
study also suggests opportunities to decrease the disparities.
• Fats,
meat unlikely to impact prostate cancer risk
New data from a large ethnically diverse
group of men provides no evidence that eating a lot of fats and meat
substantially affects a man's risk of developing prostate cancer.
• Goal-driven
achievers less prone to Alzheimer's
A surprising study of elderly people suggests that those who see
themselves as self-disciplined, organized achievers have a ...
Events
NIH videocast
•
Emergency
Preparedness and Biodefense
Air date: 10/23/2007 11:00:00 AM Eastern Time
•
Understanding
Cultural and Ethnic Influences on Mental Health: Data from the ...
The NIMH Mental Health Disparities Team (MHDT) is pleased to announce
the second presentation in the Mental Health Disparities Speaker
Series. Drs. Margarita Alegria, James S. Jackson and David T. Takeuchi
will present findings from the Collaborative Psychiatric
Epidemiological Studies (CPES). This collaborative effort, which
includes the National Survey of American Lives (NSAL) and the National
Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS) as well as the National
Comorbidity Survey
Cancer and
Inflammation Seminar, October 9-10, 2007. Masur Auditorium, Blg 10,
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
The
Gerontological Society of America’s 60th Annual Scientific Meeting "The
Era of Global Aging: Challenges and Opportunities"
November 16-20, 2007. San
Francisco, United States
Association for Gerontology in Higher
Education Annual Meeting, February 21-24, 2008. Baltimore, USA
_____________________________________________________________________________________
This Newsletter is
supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging, National
Institutes of Health (Grant No. 5 P30 AG012857)