Aging & Longevity

Alzheimer's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is characterized by a decline in brain volume and neuronal loss, with early symptoms often presenting as short-term memory impairment. Automated classification of Alzheimer's disease remains a significant challenge due to inter-patient variability in brain morphology, aging effects, and overlapping anatomical features across different stages. While traditional machine learning techniques, such as Support Vector Machines (SVMs) and...

Global warming intensifies wildfires and exacerbates greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions¹. However, global projections remain incomplete, hindering effective policy interventions amid uncertain warming futures². Here, we developed an interpretable machine learning framework to project global burned areas and wildfire emissions. This framework accounts for the impacts of future climate change on fire activity and quantifies associated premature deaths and radiative forcing from fire-induced...

The mechanisms of aging are becoming increasingly well mapped; however, there remains ongoing debate about the ultimate and proximate causes of aging. The recent development of highly precise aging clocks led to a resurgence of arguments in support of a biological program of aging. However, the declining force of natural selection after the onset of reproduction means that cellular function could deteriorate without requiring a specific program. Here, we argue that aging clocks do not imply an...

Z-form DNA (Z-DNA)-binding protein 1 (ZBP1)-mediated RNA sensing plays a critical role in tumor immunogenicity. However, how to augment ZBP1 signaling-mediated immunogenic tumor cell death to boost targeted therapy is yet unknown. Here, we demonstrated that epigenetic modulation by 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5AZA) facilitated antitumor effects of anti-HER2 therapy, which requires antitumor CD8^(+) T cell responses initiated by ZBP1-mediated tumor immunogenicity. Moreover, the combination of...

Poor sleep quality is associated with increased frailty in older adults, but the role of the gut microbiome in this relationship remains unclear. Here, gut metagenome and plasma metabolome were profiled in 1,225 individuals aged 62-96 years. Poor sleep quality was associated with reduced abundances of potential probiotics such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and elevated abundances of pathobionts. A gut microbiome sleep quality index (GMSI) was developed to quantify microbial balance related to...

CONCLUSIONS: Our study identifies a significant relationship between negative wealth shocks and biological aging in middle-aged and older adults. This suggests that socioeconomic factors, particularly sudden economic losses and fluctuations, should be considered in strategies for promoting healthy longevity and aging interventions. Additionally, there is a need for unemployment protection policies or measures to help stabilize medical and food consumption for households or individuals during...

Sleep entails profound changes in the brain and body, marked by altered states of consciousness and reduced somatic and autonomic motor activity. Regarding "how" sleep is regulated, whole-brain screening revealed large sleep-control networks spanning the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain. We unify diverse experimental evidence under a "motor theory," in which the sleep-control mechanism is integral to somatic and autonomic motor circuits. Regarding the "why" question, sleep deprivation impairs...

CONCLUSIONS: The BCW-based health promotion intervention effectively enhanced the well-being of migrant older adults by addressing their unique needs. The findings highlight the potential of tailored, multidimensional interventions to support this vulnerable population. Future research should explore long-term effects and cost effectiveness for broader implementation.

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Despite extensive research, significant uncertainty remains regarding the associations between various risk factors and ischemic stroke (IS). This study aimed to systematically identify and validate a broad range of potential modifiable risk factors for IS. Utilizing genetic and phenotypic data from the UK Biobank (UKB; N = 418,236), we conducted a phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) and Cox regression analysis to identify modifiable factors across sociodemographics, physical measures,...

GLP-1-based therapy is highly effective in combating aging-associated metabolic diseases. However, the metabolic effects of frequent withdrawal from this therapy in aged, obese mice have not been previously studied. In this study, aged obese UM-HET3 mice were assigned to three groups: Group 1 received no liraglutide treatment (Lira OFF); Group 2 underwent 3 cycles of treatment followed by withdrawal (Lira ON/OFF); and Group 3 remained on continuous treatment (Lira ON). As expected, mice in Group...

Considerable amounts of branched chain fatty acids (BCFAs) are present in the human diet from beef and dairy products. BCFAs can also be produced by the human gut microbiota and synthesized from branched chain amino acids. However, the physiological impact of a BCFA-rich diet on lipid metabolism and organismal health is unclear. In this study, by screening a collection of dietary bacteria, we find that the BCFA-rich Microbacterium diet causes the formation of supersized LDs and delays...

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is critical for maintaining cerebral homeostasis, and its deterioration with age is an important pathogenic factor in the etiology of vascular dementia. Extracellular matrix-integrin interactions play a central role in regulating vascular stability. The αvβ3 integrin is not expressed by brain endothelial cells under stable conditions but is strongly induced by hypoxia. However, it is currently unclear whether αvβ3 integrin exerts a destructive or protective...

Thrombopoietin (TPO), predominantly produced by the liver, is the key regulator for platelet production and the hematopoietic stem cell niche. Our earlier report demonstrated that platelet GPIbα is required for hepatocellular TPO generation, which is the major resource of TPO in the blood circulation. However, how hepatocytes physically contact circulating sinusoidal platelets across the liver endothelium for this process is unknown. Kupffer cells reside in contact with both sinusoidal blood and...

Lactate, historically considered a metabolic byproduct, has emerged as a key regulator of muscle physiology and metabolism. This study explores its potential as an exercise mimetic to counteract disuse muscle atrophy (DMA) in aging skeletal muscle using a hindlimb suspension model in senescence-accelerated prone 8 (SAMP8) mice. The mice were divided into four groups: Control, lactate-treated control, hindlimb suspension, and hindlimb suspension with lactate intervention. Lactate administration...

Background: Aging leads to physiological and psychological changes that compromise both mental and physical autonomy, as well as cognitive functions, thereby increasing the risk of anxiety and depression. The sedentary lifestyle typical of older individuals results in a deterioration of the overall quality of life and well-being. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Hatha yoga in improving cognitive health among older adults. We will specifically examine the impact of this...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders, characterized by a progressive decline in cognitive function. Increasing evidence indicates that alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG), a key metabolite in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, can extend lifespan and healthspan across various animal models, raising interest in its potential neuroprotective effects in age-related disorders such as AD. Our previous research found that dietary supplementation with calcium...

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) regulates hippocampal-dependent functions and is targeted by physiological aging and neurodegenerative conditions. Patients with neuropsychiatric disorders show hippocampal abnormalities that might be related to changes in AHN. Here, we sought to determine whether major depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder threaten the integrity of human AHN and the homeostasis of the dentate gyrus (DG) neurogenic niche-a specialized microenvironment in which new...

Older adults often experience deterioration in oral health and oral-related abilities, with tooth loss, impaired masticatory performance, alterations to salivary flow and composition all being common. Additionally, other ageing-related physiological changes happen, including delayed gastric emptying and higher postprandial glycemic responses. The interaction between oral-related factors and metabolic responses has been researched in younger adults, but not in older age groups. This study aimed...

The microbiota has a fundamental role in regulating homeostasis and inflammation across the barrier surfaces of the body. The gut is a unique bioreactor where the high concentration of microorganisms, microbial and dietary metabolites, microbial-derived molecular structures, immune cells, stroma and neurons form a complex, highly interactive and precisely regulated system. The mucosal immune system in the gut has profound local and systemic effects, influencing both health and disease. A...