Editors: Natalia Gavrilova and Stacy Tessler Lindau
Study
of sexuality at older ages by Lindau and Gavrilova (BMJ, 2010) was
recently
featured by "Aging News" - a Newsletter of the Institute on Aging at
the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Full text of the article can be
found here.
CCBAR member, Dr. Natalia Gavrilova, participated in the annual meeting
of the
Gerontological Society of America
held in New Orleans. Of
particular interest were conference
symposiums
"Followed
to Extinction: Predictors of Exceptional Survival in Very Long
Term Cohort Studies," (Chairs - David Meltzer and Jack Guralnik),
"Measuring and Understanding Reserve and Resiliance" (Chair - Thomas
Perls) and "Cross-National Conversations on Healthy Aging and Longevity
with One Who Arrived: a 104-Old Japanese Physician" (Chair - Leonard
Poon). These
symposiums discussed predictors of exceptional longevity in a variety
of
long-term population studies.
News from the NEJM, Nature Journals, Science, BMJ, PNAS and JAMA
Grants: Funding crisis
hits US
ageing research
Shortfalls hamper scientists' efforts to address a predicted epidemic
of
age-related diseases.
Cancer: Metabolic link
to breast
cancer
A protein that senses a cell's metabolic state may serve as a 'switch'
to allow
breast cancer to develop. This could be a molecular reason for why a
high
intake of calories and weight gain are strong risk factors for breast
cancer.Kevin Gardner
of
Evolution: Neanderthals
matured
fast
Analysis of fossil teeth from ancient humans and Neanderthals suggests
that
Neanderthals grew and matured more rapidly than Homo sapiens. This
finding
helps to pin down an evolutionary origin for humans' prolonged
childhood and
adolescence, which may have provided an evolutionary advantage.Tanya
Smi...
Early detection of
aging cartilage
and osteoarthritis in mice and patient sam...
Evolutionary history of
partible
paternity in lowland South America [Anthropo...
Partible paternity, the conception belief that more than one man can
contribute
to the formation of a fetus, is common in lowland South America and
characterized by nonexclusive mating relationships and
various institutionalized forms of recognition and investment by
multiple
cofathers. Previous wor...
SIRT1: recent lessons
from mouse
models
The family of protein deacetylases represented by yeast Sir2 has been
the focus
of intense investigation because of the longevity activity of Sir2 in
yeast,
worms and flies. Research in mammals has mainly focused on SIRT1, the
closest
homologue of Sir2. Emerging evidence from mouse
Cancer biology: Cell
neighbours
aid cancer relapse
Cancer patients often relapse after seemingly successful chemotherapy -
perhaps because
cellular stress responses to the drugs shield some cancer cells,
creating a
protected reservoir that can seed fresh tumour growth.Luke Gilbert and
Michael
Hemann at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Ca...
Resilience to social
stress
coincides with functional DNA methylation of the ...
Corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) and its receptors are involved in
the
neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to stress. Here, Elliot and
colleagues
describe alterations in DNA methylation of the Crf gene that regulate
its
expression and show that these alterations correlate with resilience
to...
DDS,
4,4'-diaminodiphenylsulfone,
extends organismic lifespan [Cell_Biology]
DDS, 4,4'-diaminodiphenylsulfone, is the most common drug prescribed to
treat
Hansen disease patients. In addition to its antibacterial activity, DDS
has
been reported to be involved in other cellular processes that occur in
eukaryotic cells. Because DDS treatment significantly enhances the
antioxid...
Late-Onset Hypogonadism
in
Middle-Aged and Elderly Men
Are CSF Biomarkers
Ready for Prime
Time as Diagnostics for Alzheimer Disease?...
Association of Features
of Primary
Health Care With Coronary Heart Disease Mo...
Context The goal of US health care reform is to extend
access. In England,
with a universal access health system, coronary heart disease (CHD)
mortality
rates have decreased by more than two-fifths in the last decade, but
variations
in rates between local populations persist.
Optimal Cardiovascular
Prevention
Strategies for the 21st Century [Commentary]
Docosahexaenoic Acid
Supplementation and Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer Disea...
Context Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is the most abundant
long-chain
polyunsaturated fatty acid in the brain. Epidemiological studies
suggest that
consumption of DHA is associated with a reduced incidence of Alzheimer
disease.
Animal studies demonstrate that oral intake of DHA reduces Alzheimer-...
Maximizing the
Potential of an
Aging Population [Commentary]
Coronary artery
disease:
Diagnostic blood test validated
A blood-based gene expression test developed to aid in the diagnosis of
coronary artery disease (CAD) has now been prospectively validated in
the
multicenter PREDICT trial. According to Dr Eric Topol, one of the
PREDICT
investigators, ?the test, which is commercially available, can be used
The relationship
between blood
pressure and cognitive function
The relationship between blood pressure (BP) and cognitive outcomes in
elderly
adults has implications for global health care. Both hypertension and
hypotension affect brain perfusion and worsen cognitive outcomes. The
presence
of hypertension and other vascular risk factors has been associated
with...
Biomarkers: Salivary
cortisol or
cortisone?
Measurement of salivary cortisol is used in the diagnosis of
hypercortisolism
and hypocortisolism. A new study by Perogamvros et al. suggests that
measuring
salivary cortisone, the inactive metabolite of cortisol, may be
clinically
useful under certain circumstances. But does analysis of salivary c...
Reproductive
endocrinology:
Postmenopausal hormone therapy: risks versus bene...
The Endocrine Society's recent Scientific Statement on postmenopausal
hormone
therapy highlights the dangers of calculating risks and benefits
associated
with hormone therapy for women in early menopause on the basis of
evidence from
previous studies. But does it provide a quantum shift in the clini...
Pleasurable behaviors
reduce
stress via brain reward pathways [Neuroscience]
Individuals often eat calorically dense, highly palatable "comfort"
foods during stress for stress relief. This article demonstrates that
palatable
food intake (limited intake of sucrose drink) reduces neuroendocrine,
cardiovascular, and behavioral responses to stress in rats.
Artificially
sweetened...
Impact of the human
circadian
system, exercise, and their interaction on card...
The risk of adverse cardiovascular events peaks in the morning (9:00
AM) with a
secondary peak in the evening (8:00 PM) and a trough at night. This
pattern is
generally believed to be caused by the day/night distribution of
behavioral
triggers, but it is unknown whether the endogenous circadian syst...
Association of
Adolescent Obesity
With Risk of Severe Obesity in Adulthood [O...
Context Although the prevalence of obesity has increased
in recent
years, individuals who are obese early in life have not been studied
over time
to determine whether they develop severe obesity in adulthood, thus
limiting
effective interventions to reduce severe obesity incidence and its
pote...
Biomarkers and Aging in the News Media
•
Job strain 'puts women
at risk'
Women with high job strain have a 40% increased risk of cardiovascular
disease
compared with those in less demanding posts, a study suggests.
• Bereavement 'raises
heart risk'
The death of a spouse or child can cause elevated heart rate and other
potentially harmful heart rhythm changes among the recently bereaved, a
study
finds.
• Study: Kids of deployed
military
have more behavioral problems
A new study suggests nine years of war is taking a toll on U.S.
children.
• Binge drinking could
hurt teens
later in life
Binge drinking during adolescence may permanently disrupt a person's
stress
hormones, leading to mental disorders in adulthood, based on new
research on rats.
• Money is big issue in
stress
survey
More Americans are worried about money than in the past few years, and
the
stress is taking a physical toll, finds an annual survey.
• Many Sleep-Deprived
Americans
Blame Stress
Millions of Americans say they're not getting enough sleep and that the
lack of
shut-eye affects their personal relationships, job performance, and
mental and
physical health, according to a new study.
• Early wrinkles no sign
of an early
grave, study says
Early wrinkles, premature balding and gray hairs before you feel
middle-aged
can be distressing signs of time's relentless march. But looking older
than you
really are doesn't necessarily signal an early death, found a new study.
• Alzheimer's disease
inherited
through maternal line, study finds
A family history of Alzheimer's disease significantly increases the
risk for
developing this disorder, but a new study suggests that which of your
parents
has the disease is very important.
• Chocolate eaters may
have healthier hearts: study
Older women who eat more chocolate are less likely to develop heart
problems
over a nearly 10-year-period, new study findings report.
• Vitamin D deficit
doubles risk of
stroke in whites, but not in blacks, study ...
Low levels of vitamin D, the essential nutrient obtained from milk,
fortified
cereals and exposure to sunlight, doubles the risk of stroke in whites,
but not
in blacks, according to a new study.
• Soy isoflavones may
modify risk of
breast cancer
Increased phytoestrogens commonly found in dietary soy may modify the
risk of
some types of breast cancer, according to new findings.
• Study Ties Ovarian
Cancer and
Hormone Therapy
More bad news about post-menopausal hormone therapy: a new European
study
reports that women who take hormones are at significantly increased
risk for
this cancer.
• Sex hormones 'make
brain younger'
Tests on post-menopausal women on HRT suggest the sex hormones can make
the
brain function more like that of a younger woman.
• DHA improves memory and
cognitive
function in older adults, study suggests
Taking docosahexaenoic acid may improve memory and learning in older
adults
with mild cognitive impairments. This is promising news for many aging
Americans who are searching for options to maintain memory and support
overall
cognitive health.
• Gene Screening vs.
Family History:
Which Wins?
Researchers led by Dr. Charis Eng, chairman and founding director of
the
Genomic Medicine Institute of the Cleveland Clinic, found that a
thorough
family history better predicted the risk for developing certain cancers
than
genomic screening did.
• Silent vascular disease
accompanies cognitive decline in healthy aging
Older people who are leading active, healthy lifestyles often have
silent
vascular disease that can be seen on brain scans that affect their
ability to
think, according to a new study.
• Budget cut fears for
elderly care
A number of councils fear budget pressures will hit care services which
help
elderly people and adults with disabilities live independently, a BBC
survey
finds.
• As boomers age, 1 in 5
drivers
will be oldsters
Baby boomers who first danced to that 1964 pop hit about a granny
burning up
the road in her hot rod will begin turning 65 in January. Experts say
keeping
those drivers safe and mobile is a challenge with profound implications.
• Kids of divorce have
double the
risk of stroke
Children whose parents divorce are more than twice as likely to suffer
a stroke
at some point during their lives than other children, according to a
new study.
• New insight into the
cause of
common dementia
Researchers have found a clue as to how some people develop a form of
dementia
that affects the brain areas associated with personality, behavior and
language.
• Understanding aging by
studying
reproduction
Do examples of rejuvenation exist in nature? Yes, during reproduction!
For the
first time, scientists have managed to visualize, in the model organism
C.
elegans, the sudden 'rejuvenation' of oocytes just before
fertilization. This
work opens new avenues for understanding aging and the diseases that
are
associated with it.
NIH
Press Releases
NIH adds
first images
to major research database
The National Institutes of Health has expanded a genetic and clinical
research
database to give researchers access to the first digital study images.
The
National Eye Institute (NEI), in collaboration with the National Center
for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), has made available more than
72,000 lens
photographs and fundus photographs of the back of the eye, collected
from the
participants of the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS).
Very
low
birthweight Down syndrome infants at high risk for heart, lung disor...
Very low birthweight Down syndrome infants are at higher risk for
disorders of
the heart and lungs than are very low birthweight infants who do not
have a
chromosomal variation, according to a study by a National Institutes of
Health
research network.
Daily
hemodialysis helps protect kidney patients' hearts
Frequent hemodialysis improved left ventricular mass (heart size) and
self-reported physical health compared to conventional hemodialysis for
kidney
failure, according to the Frequent Hemodialysis Network (FHN) Daily
Trial
funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for
Medicare &
Medicaid Services. Results were published online Nov. 20, 2010, in the
New
England Journal of Medicine to coincide with a presentation at the
American
Society of Nephrology meeting in Denver.
Mouse study
shows
effect of blood pressure drug on Alzheimer's disease
A drug used decades ago to treat high blood pressure has been shown to
improve
learning and memory in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease, according
to a new
study by researchers at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of
the
National Institutes of Health. The study found that the drug,
diazoxide, acted
on nerve cells in the mouse brain in ways that slowed the development
of the
neurodegenerative disorder. The findings appear in the Nov. 15, 2010,
print
edition of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
Lung cancer
trial
results show mortality benefit with low-dose CT
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is today releasing initial results
from a
large-scale test of screening methods to reduce deaths from lung cancer
by
detecting cancers at relatively early stages.
NIH
researchers
identify genetic elements influencing the risk of type 2 diab...
A team led by researchers at the National Human Genome Research
Institute
(NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has captured the
most
comprehensive snapshot to date of DNA regions that regulate genes in
human
pancreatic islet cells, a subset of which produces insulin.
1000
Genomes
Project publishes analysis of completed pilot phase
Small genetic differences between individuals help explain why some
people have
a higher risk than others for developing illnesses such as diabetes or
cancer.
Today in the journal Nature, the 1000 Genomes Project, an international
public-private consortium, published the most comprehensive map of
these
genetic differences, called variations, estimated to contain
approximately 95
percent of the genetic variation of any person on Earth.
NIH Announcements
The Market for
Long-Term Care
Insurance (R01)
Funding Opportunity RFA-RM-11-002 from the NIH
Guide for Grants and Contracts. This Funding Opportunity Announcement
(FOA)
solicits research (R01) applications from institutions/organizations
proposing
to advance knowledge on the economics of long-term care (LTC),
including topics
related to private and public LTC insurance, the Community Living
Assistance
Services and Supports (CLASS) program, and related topics. The FOA is a
component of the Common Fund initiative on Health Economics for Health
Care
Reform (http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/healtheconomics).
NIH Basic Behavioral
and Social
Science Opportunity Network (OppNet) Short-te...
Funding Opportunity RFA-DE-11-003 from the NIH
Guide for Grants and Contracts. This NIH Funding Opportunity
Announcement
(FOA), issued by the NIH Basic Behavioral and Social Science
Opportunity Network
[OppNet] solicits applications for short-term mentored career
development (K18)
awards in the basic behavioral and social sciences research (b-BSSR)
from three
months to one year in duration.
Correction to
RFA-CA-10-017,
Scientific
Meetings for Creating Interdisciplinary Research Teams in Basic
Behavioral and
Social Science Research (R13), in Order to Simplify Submission
Requirements
Limited Competition:
Fogarty
International Research Collaboration -
Behavioral and Social Sciences
(FIRCA-BSS) Research Award (R03)
New Time Limit for NIH
Resubmission Applications
National Institute on
Aging:
Revision Requests for Active Program Projects (P01)
Program Announcement from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
NIH Basic Behavioral
and Social
Science Opportunity Network
(OppNet) Short-term Interdisciplinary
Research Education Program for New Investigators (R25)
Request for Applications (RFA) Number: RFA-NR-11-002
Expiration Date: January 7, 2011
Scientific Meetings for
Creating
Interdisciplinary Research Teams in Basic Behavioral and Social Science
Research
(R13)
Psychosocial Stress and
Behavior:
Integration of Behavioral and Physiological...
Request for Applications from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Development of
Comprehensive and
Conceptually-based Measures of Psychosocial ...
Request for Applications from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Basic Mechanisms
Influencing
Behavioral Maintenance (R01)
Request for Applications from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Chronic,
Non-Communicable Diseases
and Disorders Across the Lifespan: Fogarty...
Program Announcement from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Participation of NIGMS
on
PAR-10-235, Climate Change and Health: Assessing an...
Effects of the Social
Environment
on Health: Measurement, Methods and Mechani...
Request for Applications from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Events
Conferences:
4th National
Conference on
Genomics and Public Health: Using Genomic Information to Improve
Health Now
and in the Future.
Date: Wednesday, December 8 - Friday, December 10, 2010. Location:
Bethesda North Marriott in Bethesda, Maryland
Population
Association of America Annual Meeting.
The 2011 Annual Meeting will be held March 31-April 2 at the Marriott
Wardman
Hotel, Washington, DC.
(Note: The Welcome Mixer is on Wednesday, March 30, 8:30 p.m.)
2011 American Geriatrics Society Annual Meeting, May 11-14, 2011. Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, MD.
23rd meeting of REVES will be held in Paris France, from May 25 to 27, 2011
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This Newsletter is supported by a grant from the National
Institute on
Aging, National Institutes of Health (Grant No. 5 P30 AG012857)
If you would like to unsubscribe please notify us at ngavrilova@babies.bsd.uchicago.edu